The Other Side (Tokyo GhoulUta Story)
by Panda-Chanda
Summary: (My first Tokyo Ghoul Fanfic featuring Uta-San and a few OC's.) Sakuya is a young and successful interior designer with close friends and a typical love life. But what happens when she meets a Mask Maker who is out of the norm? Secrets are uncovered, truths are brought into light, and lives are in danger. No one is safe, and nothing will be the same.
1. Chapter 1

It had been a busy week for Sakuya Yuno, and she was finally able to get two solid days off from her interior designing job! Needless to say the twenty-three year old was super excited to host her very first 'Girls' Night' with her two best friends. She hadn't seen them in what felt like years, and they were definitely going to make the most of the weekend!

The cute Brunette pulled her long hair into a messy bun as she boarded the last subway to her neighborhood, smiling down at her bedazzled phone every so often since it was blowing up with texts from not only her two besties, but from the guy she liked as well. Things were finally on the right track, or at least she felt like it was! Of course after working an eight hour day, the young designer couldn't help but silently dozing off on the train.

It wasn't until her phone rang loudly in her lap that Sakuya was shocked out of her sleep, realizing that she missed her stop...about two hours ago. She sighed and frowned as she stepped off the empty subway train, looking around only to find a few creepy people stalking about like what they were doing was a secret. She had never been to this part of Tokyo, so needless to say she was quite terrified. The nervous beauty fumbled her phone out and called her best friend, asking her to pick her up at the station's location. Thankfully someone was going to be there for her! But for now she thought it was best to at least go to the surface since these people were eyeing her like she was something to eat.

Sakuya carefully walked up the pink tinted marble stairs, noticing that something was definitely off about this area. It almost felt like people had been murdered here...and that the janitor didn't have enough bleach or clorox to dissolve the blood stains. This was making Sakuya beyond nervous.

Above the subway station wasn't any better; in fact there were more suspicious people than before! Sakuya was thinking that it was all in her head, and that she was just being paranoid since she had never been here before, but her sixth sense was tingling, and she just knew she was being followed by at least one of those sketchy characters. She carefully turned her head and in fact saw a hooded figure slinking behind her, a crooked smirk was on his face and his eyes were blood red. Who was this guy!?

Without even thinking, Sakuya rushed into the first building she could find, almost tripping down the stairs to enter a hidden little shop. Thankfully the stalker didn't follow her, and it seemed that the store was empty too. She had no idea what the store was selling...but it looked just as intimidating as the world outside the shop's door! Masks lined the room in a neat fashion, each of them different from each other. It was quite impressive to say the least, how detailed and unique the masks were...but the aura was still thick with mystery and a sort of eerieness. It wasn't until the young woman bumped into someone that she was forced back to her senses.

"O-oh! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to intrude!"

"Intrude? You're not. My store is still open...did you have a mask you wanted to buy?"

The man that Sakuya bumped into looked more than frightening, but the way the sleeves to his black cardigan went past his hands and how his head was gently tilted to the side kind of calmed her down. He didn't seem rude or stand-offish...But was it safe for her to stay with him until her friend picked her up? When the taller man asked her about a mask, she quickly fabricated a lie to make it seem like she purposely stumbled upon his business.

"Oh! Y-yeah! Um...Do you...custom make masks? Maybe you could make one for me?"

Sakuya was blushing a light pink color as she avoided eye contact for two reasons. One: She was embarrassed about the whole situation, and Two: His eyes seemed to be the same red color as the others before...the ones that followed her all the way from the train station.

The tattooed man didn't seem bothered by Sakuya's shy actions and nodded to her previous question.

"Mm. I can do that. Just sit down over there and I'll be right over."

He nodded softly, pushing some of his black hair away from his face as he walked off and grabbed his sketch book and a set of pencils. Sakuya sighed and tried to relax her shoulders as she sat on the leather cushioned stool he pointed to, hoping that her friend would walk in any minute now and save her before she spent thousands of Yen on a mask she didn't even need! That seemed like a farfetched wish though as the Mask Maker walked over to her again, propping himself up on his working station as he started to jott things down on his sketch pad.

"Hmm...What's you're name?"

He once again cocked his head to the side, looking straight at her so he could figure out what kind of person she was.

"M-my name? It's Yuno...Sakuya Yuno..."

The Mask maker nodded slightly, wanting to smirk at her shyness, but at the same time she looked pretty tense...he didn't want to make things worse for her since he was already having to remind himself that he already ate...

"Uta."

"...I...I'm sorry?"

"I'm Uta. Nice to meet you. Do you have any hobbies?"

Sakuya was pretty startled when the Mask maker introduced himself, but at the same time she felt safer knowing his name. Could he tell that she was beyond nervous? More nervous than the time she interviewed for one of the top interior designers in the country!

"Oh...Nice to meet you Uta-San~ And I guess I do...I like to shop and play with my dog...I also design upscale houses and apartments in a different part of Tokyo."

"Ah. Do you shop for cute things? Is your dog cute?"

Sakuya couldn't help but smile and blush when Uta continued to ask about her like he actually wanted to know her. Most of the men she talked to were pretty self absorbed and full of themselves, so it was nice talking to someone of the opposite sex that didn't ramble on and on about themselves.

"Mmhmm~ I like furry and cute things! My dog is so tiny and cute, and my apartment is full of nothing but pastels and cute stuffed animals"

Sakuya's room had always been off limits to people she wasn't close with, so it almost felt like a guilty pleasure that she was a hidden Otaku. It wasn't like her and Uta were going to have a steady friendship, so she felt like it was okay to tell him everything about her.

"Mm. Is this mask for a convention? Do you like to Cosplay as animals or heroines?"

"...O-oh not really~ This is for...a party...but it's a contest too! The one with the cutest mask wins...a dinner...a romantic dinner"

Sakuya was a horrid liar, but Uta seemed to buy it, and he was writing all of it down. He didn't seem affected by any of her weird statements, and soon after he got up and started to measure the width and length of her head.

"A contest. Good luck. I'll work hard on your mask. How long do I have before I deliver it?"

Sakuya blushed a deep shade of pink as she felt Uta's fingers on her head, making her look left, then right, then forward again. He must have been doing this for a long time. Either that or she had no idea how to act around the opposite sex.

"N-no need to rush~ Do you think three days is enough?"

"Sure."

The rest of the consultation was silent as Uta walked back and forth from Sakuya to his sketchpad. Once he had a solid idea of what he wanted to make, he shot his head forward and stared deeply at his shy client.

"COD? Or would you like to pay now? Personally I would rather you wait to pay...just to make sure you're happy with the final product."

Sakuya tensed up when Uta mentioned a form of payment, almost making her break out in a sweat since she had no idea how much this was going to cost! She couldn't ask him how much it was going to be though...that would just make him realize their whole walk-in appointment was for nothing!

"Yeah~ I'll do it your way. I'll have the money by then~"

"Mm. Do you receive picture messages on your phone?"

Once again, Sakuya perked up, unsure of why he would even ask her such a random question.

"Y-yeah it does. Why do you ask?"

Uta furrowed his brow a bit and cocked his head to the opposite side, the hair on the unshaved part of his head fell slightly into his line of sight.

"Oh...I would like to send you picture messages of the progress of your mask. Most of the time I personally visit since this is my full time job, but you said you live in the upper side of Tokyo, I'll settle for text messages instead. Write your number and address here."

Uta carefully placed a pencil and his sketchpad in Sakuya's lap, walking off to gather the materials he needed in order to start on her mask right away. Sakuya on the other hand felt kind of torn about the situation. She had never shared such personal info with a stranger! Still, she didn't want to seem suspicious, so she wrote it down quickly and handed it back to him.

"...I'm sorry for barging in last minute~ But um...c-could I stay here a bit longer? I promise I won't touch anything! It's just...my friend is supposed to be picking me up and she'll be here any minu-"

"Don't worry. You can stay. I tend to stay up late anyways...I'll just be working."

"Oh...Thank you~"

Sakuya smiled as Uta continued to work, shooting a question her way every once in a while. Needless to say, the young designer felt very comfortable around Uta, regardless of his intimidating appearance. So he was covered in tattoos and piercings, that didn't bother her at all since he seemed like a nice person.

After mindlessly browsing through the rest of his mask collection, Sakuya's friend finally appeared, her cheerful voice echoing through the corridor.

"Sakuya-Chan! How the hell did you end up here girl!?"

"Ayaka! I'm so happy you found me! I was so lost! I accidentally fell asleep on the subway and missed my stop..."

Sakuya couldn't help but sigh as she hugged her friend tightly, completely forgetting that Uta was still there making her mask, hearing everything. That's when the cute designer tensed up and turned around, giving straight eye contact to what seemed like an exasperated Uta.

"O-oh...I still need that mask though!"

"So Ayaka is your friend? I wouldn't have guessed that."

Sakuya paused as she glanced back and forth from Uta to Ayaka, wondering how they knew each other. Had Ayaka been here before? Did they go to the same College or something? Either way, Sakuya wanted out before things got too awkward!

"Sakuya...What are you doing in Uta-san's shop?"

"H-huh? Oh...well when I saw that it was here I tho-"

"Sakuya-chan can see me whenever she wants to Ayaka. She wanted a mask as well, and I don't descriminate when it comes to paying customers."

"Oh whatever Uta! You don't tell anyone about her okay? Please...she's my friend"

Uta sighed as he got up and leaned against a nearby wall, Akaya staring him down with much heat in her gaze. Sakuya had no idea what was going on, but what was obvious was that they knew each other...she just didn't know how.

"You're secret is safe with me. I would be careful if I waas you though Ayaka."

With that Uta turned around, walking toward a different door that led him away from the duo. Before he completely disappeared, he turned and winked at Sakuya, waving lazily at her so she could get a glimps of his multiple tattoos. Ayaka was not too pleased though, and it was more than obvious that she wanted to get her best friend out of there.

"Sakuya, don't talk to that guy...he's nothing but trouble."

The poor designer had no idea what was going on, or how her best friend knew that guy, but either way she was going to listen to Ayaka since she had never steered her wrong before.

"...Yeah...He seemed nice though...is he really a bad guy?"

Ayaka shot her a dirty glare as she dragged her out of the shop and into her car, no longer wanting to dwell on the conversation. It was bad enough that She and Sakuya were friends when they had a huge and conflicting difference...she didn't need her to know what that difference was.

While Ayaka was quietly driving them back to their apartments, Sakuya couldn't help but sigh, only perking up when she received a text message from an unknown number. Without letting her best friend see, Sakuya slyly took her phone out, blushing a light pink when she realized who it was from.

"It's Uta. Your friend seemed mad about us talking. We should continue anyways. Your mask will be ready by Friday."

A cute smile appeared on Sakuya's face as she saved his number and texted him back, kind of glad that he wanted to be her friend too! When someone tells her no, she always tries it anyways. Besides, she didn't see the problem with being Uta's friend!

Of course she had no idea how much her life was going to change now that she knew someone like him. Everything the young and naive woman thought was true would soon crumble around her.


	2. Chapter 2

Three days had gone by for Sakuya Yuno, but that didn't mean her best friend Ayaka was going to let her forget what had happened that week. After picking her up from Uta's shop, Ayaka had begged and pleaded for Sakuya to never talk to him again. She said she would and they hadn't seen each other since...but...there was something so delicious about doing something that had been forbade.

Sakuya and Uta still sent text messages to each other, and the young designer planned on paying for the mask that he had made for her. Nothing was going to stop her from doing that. In fact, today was the day she was throwing the Masked Party for her friends and all her co-workers at the office! Surprisingly everyone in her designing firm thought it was a brilliant idea, and of course her boss couldn't help but eat every word up when Sakuya was explaining it to her. So the Mask Party had an official green light and both Ayaka and Sakuya's other best friend Rarako were both estatic about the whole thing.

Of course Ayaka kept her eyes peeled for anything suspicious. She and Uta didn't know each other too well, but they had one definite thing in common, and if her two other friends found out about them, things would never be the same. Ever.

Only two hours remained until Sakuya was off of work, and the gorgeous designer was tickled pink about hosting her very first party! The only thing missing was the mask. Everything she told Uta was now currently the truth; everything from the masks to the contest to the winner who gets the romantic dinner for two. All of it was going to happen! And to be honest, if she won, she was going to invite the very man who made her come up with the whole idea out to that romantic dinner!

A soft and gentle sigh escaped Sakuya's lightly glossed lips as she thought about what Uta was like behind the scenes. Was he a gentle lover? Were the tattoos and piercings just a front to hide his amazing and caring soul~? What did he look like without his clothes on~? A light pink blush appeared on Sakuya's face as the twinkle in her eyes grew more and more, not hearing her name being called as she continued to fantasize about her forbidden friend.

"Sakuya Yuno! Are you okay!?"

Without a moment's warning, something tugged on Sakuya's hair, snapping her out of her dream like state. Who the hell would-!?

"Ow! What!?"

Sakuya hardly ever snapped, but once she realized who she was talking to she covered her mouth with both of her well manicured hands, the pink blush was now a violent red color.

"...Hmm...I don't normally yell but...you were just standing there ignoring me so I didn't know how to get your attention."

"U-U-Uta! I'm so sorry! I didn't know it was you! You told me you didn't have time to personally visit and I-"

"Yeah but your mask is done so I wanted to see the look on your face when I gave it to you."

Uta smiled softly as he cocked his head to the side and handed her the pink box wrapped in a whispy cream colored bow.

"I'm really excited about this one. I haven't made a mask this cute since I had a little girl come in my shop with her parents~"

Uta clapped his hands together, the sleeves of his cardigan lazily sliding down his arms to reveal more of his tribal like tattoos. Sakuya couldn't help but smile and bite her lower lip as she saw how lively Uta was being. When she first met him he seemed kind of lathargic and in his own world, but now he seemed like a different person! It was almost adorable how he still had his sunglasses on even though they were indoors too.

Of course her co-workers weren't as welcoming as Sakuya, and they couldn't help but stare and gossip when they saw the strange man conversing with their cute and new employee. Still, Sakuya didn't care, and almost gasped with happiness when she opened the box.

"O-oh my gosh Uta-San! This mask is so cute! How did you know Pandas are my favorite animal?" 

"Your phone case has a picture of a Panda on it...and you have Panda charms on your keys as well...I just put two and two together. Do you like it?" 

"Yes it's so cute! Thank you so much! How much do I owe you?"

Here came the moment of truth. She just knew this was going to cost her at least one or two of her pay checks, and the cute designer couldn't help but gulp back her nervousness as Uta started to do calculations in that beautiful head of his.

"Mm...Nothing. I had fun doing this so...it's a gift."

"...Wha-!?"

Uta smiled cutely as he shrugged and folded his arms, thinking that her reactions were quite amausing. Honestly he wasn't too interested in her until her friend Ayaka said she was off limits...now...she seemed like a juicy apple he just wanted to sink his teeth into~

"Just make sure to win that contest. Text me after the party and let me know."

With that, Uta bowed to the shorter girl, on his way to the elevator until he heard his name being called out to him by the very girl he was about to leave.

"Um...Uta!"

The tall and slender man stopped and turned lazily, his eyes half lidded as he stuffed his hands into his sweater pockets. Sakuya was so cute and needy...he wanted her so badly but he knew how to keep his desires in check.

The young girl blushed and bowed to him, her long straight hair falling in her face as if to curtain her embarrassment.

"W-will you come to the party with me? It's the least I can do right? You made me such a beautiful mask and...I want to...get to know you more?"

Uta perked up a bit, placing one of his hands under his chin as if he were contemplating the pros and cons of going to a mostly human party with such a sweet girl. He couldn't help but wonder if her personality matched her flavor.

"Mm...Sure. I'll just meet you at the party then. See ya."

With that Uta finally left. A smirk appearing on his face as soon as the elevator doors closed.

That evening, around 9:00 PM, the party was in full effect. Ayaka and Rarako were having an amazing time on the dance floor of the apartment complex's lobby, completely shut off to anyone who wasn't invited to the gathering. Sakuya on the other hand was fidgeting nervously with her glass that contained sparkling grape juice. The twenty-three year old was basically a nun. She had never smoked, drank, or even had an adult relationship her whole life. She was proud of that...but at the same time she felt like she was missing out. Her two best friends seemed pretty intoxicated, and so did everyone else! She felt like as the hostess she needed to have her wits about her, but at the same time this was her party...should she at least have one glass of wine? Her very first glass of alcohol?

"Try this. It's a Screwdriver. Nothing but orange juice and Vodka. It won't get you drunk I promise."

The cute and ever so shy Sakuya couldn't help but jump with surprise when she heard a familiar voice and noticed a drink being handed to her. She didn't want to admit it, but she knew she wouldn't be able to have a good time until a certain guest was there.

"Uta-san~ I didn't think you'd come~ Thanks for the drink...what do you have?" 

Uta smiled softly and waved his hand a bit when Sakuya asked him what he was drinking. He couldn't tell her...not yet at least. For now he was just going to lie until he was certain she could handle the truth.

"This...is just something I mixed back there. You don't drink much...so I won't share this with you this time~" 

Sakuya bought it, and smiled sweetly as she took a sip of her very first alcoholic beverage. It tasted sweet with a hint of bitterness, and she felt like she could handle it! She couldn't help but thank the Gods of Love for bringing her and Uta together~ They seemed like an unlikely couple, but that wasn't going to stop her from wanting to be with him.

"Thanks for coming Uta~ I was hoping we could talk more~ W-was your um...g-girlfriend okay with you coming here?"

The line that Sakuya dropped to get information on him embarrassed her to no end, and it was beyond obvious by the way she was playing with her hair and downing the rest of her drink quickly. Of course Uta was eating all of this up. She was shy...probably needy...the converstion wasn't the only thing he wanted to eat.

"Girlfriend? I'm not in a relationship."

"R-really!? I mean...that's interesting...same here~"

"...No kidding."

Uta smirked as he handed Sakuya another drink, finding her to be just his taste.

"If you wanted, you could come over on my side of town and you can hang out with me. I know a pretty good bar I think you'd like"

Sakuya perked up after she sipped her second drink, smiling and nodding like she was a small girl getting invited to the zoo. She had no idea why she was so attracted to Uta in the first place, but all she could think was that opposites attract and she wasn't going to question it anymore!

"I would love to! How about nex- Ow!"

The poor girl was so excited about spending time with Uta that she accidentally bit herself, causing a small amount of blood to form on her bottom lip.

"O-oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to talk so fast~ Let me get a napkin"

"...I'll take care of it"

Uta stopped Sakuya from running away from him, backing her up to the wall and placing one of his hands beside her head. With his free hand, he tilted her chin upward, gently kissing her bottom lip before licking up the blood. Her taste was so sweet and intoxicating...he just knew she was the right one for him. Without any warning, Uta bit on her bottom lip to force more blood out, turning the simple kiss into a much more passionate one.

As for Sakuya, she couldn't help but let out a slight moan of pain when Uta bit her, but it was muffled by his tongue as he slipped it into her mouth. Normally she didn't kiss guys she just met...in fact she had only kissed two guys in her whole life and it was never this heated! The young and infatuated designer couldn't help but snake her arms around his neck, kissing back with just as much zest thanks to the two glasses of alcohol.

The kiss was unfortunately cut short thanks to someone pulling Uta's hair, jerking his head back and causing him to turn in almost an angered way. He quickly got his cool back when he saw who it was though.

"Oh hello Ayaka. Did you need Sakuya-Chan?"

"What the hell are you doing Uta!? I told you to leave her alone! You can't have her! You know you two will never work out!" 

Uta tweaked an eyebrow upwards as he sighed, deciding it was best if he left. He knew he could take Ayaka down in a minute...but he didn't want to ruin Sakuya's party, or reveal their secret at the same time.

"Fine then. I have work to do so...excuse me Sakuya. Give me a call when you want to have a drink with me."

He smiled and bowed to her slightly, walking out after turning and giving a slight wink to Ayaka as well. The love struck designer smiled and blushed, looking down to not only hide her embarrassment, but to avoid Ayaka's harsh glare as well. The older best friend was not pleased at all! Sakuya and Uta could NOT be a thing. He was dangerous...it was bad enough that Ayaka had a friendship with her! They were already pushing the boundaries!

"Sakuya...please...You don't know what he's capable of...I think we need to talk."

When Sakuya heard her best friend say those words her heart sank to her stomach. Was she going to have to choose between her best friend and a possible relationship? That terrified her! Of course that's not what Ayaka wanted to talk about.

Ayaka had a secret she had been hiding from both Rarako and Sakuya, and with the way things were going now, she would rather Sakuya hear it from her than learn it from Uta. He had something else in mind and Ayaka wasn't about to let his plan go into action.

"Look I have to go...just text me in the morning and we'll talk~ Love you girl~"

"O-okay Aya-Chan~ Get home safely okay?"

Sakuya smiled and waved at her friend, noticing that Ayaka had left her phone on the table minutes after she left. That was no good! Without even thinking, Sakuya snatched her phone and ran out of the party, trying her best to keep her balance while jogging in her sparkling high heels.

"Ayaaaa! Oh no I bet she already left..."

The young girl sighed as she turned around, unsure of where she was anymore. How far did she run!?

"You seem lost~ Need help little lost kitten~?"

Sakuya turned to see a strange man with red eyes just like Uta's, causing her to almost panic since he seemed like a very deadly person.

"O-Oh no I'm not! I'm meeting my um...Boyfriend. He should be here any minute. He's very strong so I wouldn't hang around if I were you" 

"Is that so...?"

The stranger didn't care, and he licked his lips as he cornered her into an alley. Sakuya had no idea what to do, but the look in his eyes made her freeze and she knew something bad was going to happen. A strange aura was appearing around him as he caught her by her throat, lifting her up with much ease.

"I'll just devour you now and spare your boyfriend~ I'm nice like that"

Sakuya tried to gulp some air down as she heard him say devour, making her almost lose her senses and pass out. Something happened though, and before she knew it she was on the ground gasping for air. The man that was choking her was now on his back, the same look of fear that was in Sakuya's eyes was now in his.

"Uta!? Th-this is your boyfriend?"

"Go...before I seriously hurt you."

The strange man panicked and scurried away like a mouse from a cat. Sakuya on the other hand was in tears, her palms and knees were bloodied from her fall from the air to the rough pavement. Uta sighed as he walked over to her, covering her shoulders with his thick cardigan and helping her to her feet.

"...Ayaka wanted to talk to you about this but...how about you have a drink with me instead."

The young designer shivered and nodded, so glad that Uta was there to save her. The whole time they were walking, Uta had his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close to him every time someone even spared her a glance. She had no idea what would have happened if he didn't show up, but she was thankful he did. Still...she had so many questions...could he really answer them?


	3. Chapter 3

The night was nothing how Sakuya thought it was going to be, and in the end she wound up going to a bar with Uta. So many questions ran through her head as she cotinued to walk with the taller man, not even noticing when he held the door for her and led her to a nice seat at the bar known as 'Helter Skelter'.

A sigh was heard escaping Sakuya's lips as she sat down, only to be shocked out of her thoughts by a loud and feminine voice. The bar tender bounced happily toward them, seemingly excited to finally have a person or two in her establishment.

"U-Chan~! Welcome back~! And lookey here, you brought a girl too...are you having her for dinner~?"

The gorgeous bar tender rested the upper half of her body on the counter, giving Sakuya a warm and sultry look.

"No, no. Not this one...besides, I would much rather have her for dessert~"

Uta smiled sweetly as he sat beside of his distressed friend, patting her back as the bar tender poured him his usual drink.

"Itori, this is my new friend, Sakuya Yuno~ She purchased a mask from me and invited me to her party."

The bar tender, now known as Itori, smiled and nodded her head as she handed her new guest a hot chocolate, sensing that she was in need of a warm and comforting drink.

"Ah~ Yaya-San~ Are you interested in U-Chan? I've been friends with him for a very long time! Would you like to see photos of him when he was a teenager~? He was blonde and wore the cutest glasses!"

At the mentioning of old photos, Sakuya couldn't help but perk up, a small smile and a soft blush showing up on her face. Without sparing another moment, Itori rumaged through her bookshelf behind her and pulled out a thick photo album, turning to the exact page of all the pictures of teenaged Uta.

Sakuya couldn't help but giggle when she saw them, thinking he looked so different from then! In some photos he had his blonde hair pushed back with a hairband, while in others he just left it alone. Not only that but those glasses! He looked so goofy!

"Oh Uta-san! You look totally different now~ How old are you anyways?"

Sakuya seemed to have forgotten what had happened earlier that night as she asked Uta his current age, tilting her head to the side in an adorable fashion in an attempt to get to know him better.

Uta smiled gently as he set his liquor glass down, resting his cheek on his knuckles in a calm manner.

"My age? That's quite the rude question don't you think? Next thing you know you'll be asking me my weight, or how big I am~"

Uta kept his cool and calm smile as Sakuya continued to have her head tilted, unsure of what he meant by how big he was. While she was thinking, both Itori and Uta smiled to themselves until she finally got it, blushing a deep shade of crimson and keeping her head down in a flustered manner.

"U-Uta! That's not very polite! I would never ask you that!"

"Oh? She figured it out~"

Both Itori and Uta laughed softly while Sakuya basked in her embarrassment, unable to stop herself from smiling a little bit since both of them were being nice to her. Still, she had so many questions and she wanted them answered tonight.

"Uta...that man back there...he had the same eyes as you...and he even said that he wanted to devour me. He knew you though, didn't he?"

With that question being asked, the calm and collected atmosphere was shattered, leaving Itori sighing and Uta a bit tense.

"Sakuya-Chan...do you know what a Ghoul is?"

"A...Ghoul?"

Itori heaved yet another sigh as she crossed over from behind the bar to sitting right beside her new guest. The curvy red head smiled softly at Sakuya, a drink of her own resting in her hands.

"Yaya-San...A Ghoul looks like a normal person...they can have jobs, go to school, and even have their own families. There are a few differences between human and ghoul, but they aren't on the outside. You can eat whatever you want to Yaya-San~ Anything from burgers to veggies...Ghouls on the other hand have a very strict and limited diet."

Sakuya continued to listen, her eyes glistening with curiousity while behind her Uta continued to sip casually on his liquor, making sure everything Itori said was correct, and that she broke it to her gently.

"You see...Ghouls have one source of food...and it's humans. Ghouls cannot survive without consuming some form of human. We all have our own abilities as well just in case we have to fight others of our kind, or Doves-"

"W-wait. You said 'our'...are...are you a Ghoul?"

Itori couldn't help but smile softly, nodding her head once in reply. Poor Sakuya had been so sheltered thanks to her strict parents, and unbeknownst to her, even her best friend Ayaka was in fact a Ghoul. Without saying another word, Sakuya turned to Uta, a scared and worried look was written on her face.

"U-Uta...? Are you a Ghoul too?"

A slight tremble was heard in her voice, making it obvious that she was scared to know the truth. Uta relaxed his shoulders and nodded too, but he wanted her to know that he wasn't going to hurt her, and that she was safe with him and Itori, along with Ayaka too since they had been friends since childhood.

"I'm a ghoul too. You shouldn't be too worried though. Ghouls and humans can live together...we have no choice."

His words came with a certain sting to them as he touched his neck tattoo, constantly being reminded of what it meant. Still, he really liked Sakuya and he wanted their friendship to continue. He would just have to protect her and continue to shelter her from what the real world was like.

"That man who attacked you was also a Ghoul...and the time we met in my district...I'm sure you saw more than a few Ghouls then too."

Itori could feel how thick the tension was, and decided it was best to stop the dramatic talk and move to a lighter subject. There was already so much going on in the Ghoul world. The Doves were on the move, and wars were being waged within the Ghoul society as well. She was tired of all the bad talk and just wanted to enjoy the night for once!

"Enough, enough! I'm done talking about our differences~ Besides we're already friends yeah? I can tell that you and U-Chan are definitely something more~ Did anything juicy happen at that party of yours, Yaya-San?"

At the mention of the party, Sakuya couldn't help but blush once more, a flash back of that heated kiss she and Uta shared came rushing back to her memory. What triggered the kiss was when she bit her lip...Uta actually had a taste of her.

"Mmm, well not really~ To be honest, I'm really tired from everything. Is there any way I could stay the night with you Itori?"

Sakuya would have asked Uta, but she felt embarrassed asking a man if she could stay the night. She was young and single! If anyone found out she slept in the same house with a man she wouldn't hear the end of it, especially from Ayaka, who already had a thing against Uta! Itori smirked and raised an eyebrow though, not wanting to spoil what could be a lively romance between human and Ghoul.

"Oh? I'm sorry Yaya dear~ I don't have enough room at my place! Uta though has more than enough space, and I'm sure if you ask him nice enough he'll even let you stay in his bed~ Isn't that right? U-Chan~?"

Itori thought she was being so sly as her smile took a wicked turn and her innocent facade turned more sinister. She wanted Sakuya to die of embarrassment! That was her plan to kill her and eat her! Uta seemed pretty calm though as he nodded and got up, grabbing his date by the hand and tugging her along.

"You can stay with me. Itori stays up pretty late anyways, besides, you'll be safer with me around."

Uta seemed so nonchalant about it as Sakuya was basically dragged out by the stronger man. Looks like she had no choice but to stay with him until the morning. Thankfully she didn't have work the next day since she did kind of bail out of her own party! Once the pair were off the streets and back in the Mask Shop, Uta led her through another door, revealing a different attachment that seemed to be his apartment.

"Bathroom is the first door to the right. You can shower if you want to. If you just want to go to sleep you can use my bed. My room is the second door on the left, feel free to use my clothes to sleep in. I know you can't be too comfortable in that dress. Anyways, I'll be working for a bit longer. Sleep well"

With that, Uta nodded to himself and walked into his kitchen, grabbing a quick "snack" and heading towards his shop behind a simple door. Once Sakuya was alone, she took Uta's advice and showered off first, cleaning her palms and knees from the fall she took a while back. After deeming herself clean by her own standards, the shy woman crept into Uta's room with nothing but her under garments on.

There was no way Sakuya could have a decent night of sleep if she changed right back into that mini dress of her's, so she quickly grabbed a white tank top out of Uta's dresser and slipped it on. This was beyond embarrassing, but the young designer was too tired to dwell on it that long. Once she hit his queen sized bed she was out like a light.

Hours passed as Sakuya slept soundly, only to be awoken by a dim light hitting her face. She forced her heavy eyelids open to see a shady Uta changing his clothes. His body was amazing and so toned...she had no idea he looked that good without a shirt on.

"...Uta-San...What time is it?"

Sakuya sighed and stretched a bit, her sleepiness was over-powering her shyness as she continued to watch Uta change into sweatpants for the night.

"Hmm? You're awake? It's almost Two in the morning. You should go back to sleep."

"...Uta-San...You can sleep in your bed...with me"

Sleep talk was taking over as Sakuya pulled the covers off of one side of the bed, trying to invite him in before she passed out again. It was a very bold move, especially for someone as innocent as herself, but she knew Uta wouldn't hurt her. There was something about his presence that calmed her soul...like fate would bring them together one way or another.

Uta on the other hand crossed his arms and tweaked an eyebrow upwards, wondering if she had too much alcohol in her system or if it was sleep talk controlling her actions.

"You've had a long night. You need time to yourself-"

"Uta please...I feel safer with you."

The tattooed Ghoul let out an exasperated sigh as he walked toward her, carefully sitting beside her as she turned to face him. She was very cute, but Uta couldn't help but think she was naive as well. She was a human and he was a Ghoul. Ayaka was probably right...they were better off not being with each other.

"I know there's a huge difference between us Uta-San...but I really like you, and I hope you give me a chance too."

Sakuya smiled cutely as she closed her eyes again, only taking a few minutes to lull back into a deep sleep. As for Uta, he couldn't help but sigh once more as he patted her head, leaving her in his room so he could get more work done. He had no idea what to think anymore. For the longest time he was apathetic and just liked to play around with other people's lives, but now he had something important to him and that honestly confused him.

The next morning came quickly for the young and beautiful woman, her eyes opening carefully as if she had been in the longest dream like state of her life. Memories came flowing back into her mind as she sat up, gripping at the tank top she borrowed from Uta. Without thinking anything else, Sakuya pulled her ripped tights up and slipped her heels on, refusing to wear such a provocative dress during the day. That would attract attention from Ghouls AND humans...something she did not want right now.

Sakuya quietly exited Uta's room, looking around his apartment for him until she heard something from the shop next door. Once she was there, she smiled at the man she was searching for, watching him work hard on a new mask project. It wasn't until she sat down that the Mask Maker noticed her.

"Ah. Good morning Sakuya-Chan. I got an e-mail from Ayaka. She's on her way to pick you up again. I told her that you know everything."

"Oh? So she knows about Ghouls too?"

Sakuya still hadn't put two and two together yet, and she remained unaware of how her own best friend was in fact a Ghoul herself. It didn't take long for Ayaka to show up though, and without warning the older best friend pounced on Sakuya, hugging her tightly.

"Sakuya! It's always you that ends up in trouble! Rarako never does this!"

"S-sorry Aya-Chan~ I'm fine though I promise~"

Ayaka frowned a bit when she looked at her best friend, assuming that she knew the truth about her real identity. With a heavy sigh, Ayaka let her friend go, ready to tell her everything.

"Uta-San told you about Ghouls last night, didn't he?...He told you how he's one of them...and I am too."

Sakuya's eyes widened when she heard her best friend confess to her that she was a Ghoul as well, earning a slight gasp and worried look as well.

"Aya...y-you-?"

"I'm so sorry I didn't tell you before Sakuya! We've been friends since grade school though! And I would never hurt you, I swear! Just...please don't tell anyone else. Ghouls aren't exactly welcome in all places ya know...and I could lose my job and my car and even my house!"

Sakuya eased her gaze to the ground, having such a hard time processing this. Ayaka and Uta were both Ghouls...how did she know she was really safe?

"Aya-Chan...It's okay~ We're friends, and we always will be~"

Without a moment's delay, Sakuya hugged her best friend tightly, not letting go until Ayaka got the message. Nothing would ever tear them apart, nothing. After learning the truth and talking it over, Sakuya had to say goodbye to Uta for the day. She thanked him and hugged him, so glad that she made another friend~

"Lets see each other again Uta-San~ I really enjoyed our time together!"

Uta smiled and nodded a bit, feeling a bit uneasy about making his first human friend...but he really did like her.

"Sure. Both of you be careful getting home."

Ayaka and Sakuya said their goodbyes and walked out of the shop, not even realizing that they were being followed...

Before the two best friends could make it to the subway, Ayaka was attacked, her body flew into a nearby building causing the ground to shake and the structure to tremble.

"Ayaka!?"

Sakuya quickly ran to her best friend, only to be shoved away from a ghoul like Ayaka. What was going on? And who was attacking her best friend!?

"Sakuya! Get back to the shop! If you don't hurry you'll end up hurt too!"

A strange aura surrounded Ayaka, and from out of nowhere the red and purple energy grew into monstrous claws. Before Sakuya could say another word, the person who started the fight attacked again, a wicked like grin on their face as they pulled out the same kind of aura from a briefcase. She didn't want to leave her best friend, but Ayaka was always right, so with tears in her eyes, Sakuya ran back to the Mask Shop, out of words and out of breath.

Uta was quite surprised to see her again, especially in this traumatized state.

"Sakuya-Chan? What brings you back?"

The poor girl couldn't catch her breath, and wheezed out what had happened with tears still streaming down her blushed cheeks.

"Ayaka...she was...attacked! Some man with...a briefcase!"

Uta knew what was going on and nodded when Sakuya asked for his help. They ran as fast as they could, but by the time they made it back to the scene of the fight, it was too late. The man was gone, and Ayaka was left on the ground, bloodied and beaten.

"...A...Ayaka?"

Sakuya stumbled to her best friend, placing her head on her chest praying for a heart beat.

Nothing.

Ayaka had her eyes closed softly, not a breath leaving her pale lips as Sakuya held her in a tight embrace.

"A...Ayaka...Why?"

The young woman sobbed loudly, refusing to let go of her best friend. It wasn't until a solid hour passed that Uta had to snap Sakuya back to reality.

"Sakuya...we have to go...Doves could come back and force information out of you...You can stay with me again."

The tattooed ghoul helped her up, hugging her close just like the night before. Sakuya had no idea who would have done this to her best friend, but Ayaka was not going to be put to rest in vain. Sakuya would do anything to make sure the person who killed her would pay...


	4. Chapter 4

The death of Ayaka Sato was more than heart breaking for Sakuya, who sat in Uta's shop dazed and out of touch. His soft cardigan rest lazily on her trembling shoulders as the young woman stared at the ground, her tear ducts burning from all the crying she had done earlier. She felt empty...souless...her future was bleak and worthless without her best friend there.

She had no idea who had attacked her or why they did it, but a bitterness was growing in the once care-free girl, and the aching in her heart was so painful it was surely going to turn her mad. Uta could see how upset she was, and he tried to take the edge away by handing her a warm beverage.

"...Sakuya-Chan...drink this. It's Green Tea"

The best thing for the broken girl to do was to relax and get some sleep. This whole week had been nothing but a mess for her, and Uta was going to do his best to fix it. She could stay with him as long as she needed to, and he was going to make sure to avenge her best friend. It was the least he could do since he felt like he was falling for the simple human woman.

"Uta-San...I'm so confused...why would anyone want to hurt Ayaka? She was...she was such a beautiful and amazing person..."

Sakuya's grip tightened around the cup, tears once again streaming softly down her blushed cheeks and falling into her drink. They had been friends for over a decade, sharing so many things and making up after so many trivial fights. Ayaka was her soul sister and now she was gone forever. Sakuya had no idea how to deal with this; she felt like her life had no point without Ayaka there.

Uta sighed softly as he watched her break down, unsure of how to tell her that being a Ghoul was dangerous, and their lives were always on the line. Whether it be from one of their own kind or from a dove, it was a dog eat dog world and the strongest always came out on top.

"The person that killed her was a Dove. They're people who go after rogue Ghouls who cause too much of a disturbance. The more secretive you are when it comes to being a Ghoul the better. It seemed like Ayaka was very good at hiding that fact though...so I'm not sure why she was attacked in the first place. It's very odd."

Obviously the person who killed Ayaka was in the wrong, and possibly working on their own, so the sooner they found him the better. Who knows who else he would kill while on his rampage? Uta felt like talking about the subject for too long was only going to make things worse, and Sakuya really needed to sleep before her thoughts became suicidal. She looked so hurt and pitiful...There was no way Uta was leaving her side this time.

"Come on Sakuya. You can sleep in my bed."

The tattooed man got up and carefully escourted his guest back to his bedroom, gently taking her heels off and tucking her in as her small body shook with sobs and hiccups. She was traumatized and ill so Uta decided it was best if he stayed with her for at least a few hours.

It didn't take long for her to fall asleep, and once she did, Uta left her to rest peacefully. Losing Ayaka was definitely a loss for so many people, but the fact of the matter was that there was a Dove going around doing whatever they pleased, even killing Ghouls that hadn't done a thing. There was nothing more dangerous than a Dove that had nothing to lose. With that being the obvious issue, Uta called both Itori and Yomo to discuss what they should do. Once the duo arrived at his Mask Shop, they began to come up with possible scenarios and solutions.

"This is so strange...I've known Ayaka for a long time and she always flew under the radar...I don't get why she was suddenly attacked! What if Sakuya is attacked too? She was friends with her longer than anybody else.."

Both Itori and Yomo looked at Uta, expecting him to know the answer. Sure he came up with majority of the plans and he was sort of their pack leader, but he honestly had no idea what the hell to do! This was only going to get worse before it got better.

"...Sakuya is possibly in danger...we should all make sure she doesn't get hurt. If a human is killed by a Dove, they're going to blame a Ghoul and that'll cause some kind of public disturbance. Either way, if someone else gets killed, it'll only bring us trouble."

Uta didn't want to admit that he wanted Sakuya safe because he liked her. If anyone found that out they could use that against him. He didn't want any obvious weakness', hell, even his Kagune was a secret! He typically just beat the shit out of his enemies. Still, he couldn't kill someone whose identity was unknown. Surely enough they would come back and when they did, that's when he, Yomo, and Itori would attack.

"The Dove who attacked Ayaka probably knew her, and if Sakuya and Ayaka have mutual friends, more than likely Sakuya might know the killer too. We should just have her report back here after she's done with work! Right U-Chan?"

Itori was right. It would be safer that way, and Uta had no problem with letting her stay with him until they found out who was behind these attacks.

"...I'll tell her. Once she wakes up I'll bring her up to speed...and she can stay with me."

No one had any protests, and once Itori and Yomo were gone Sakuya had gotten up, her breathing was still hitched and her eyes were still swollen from her constant crying, but at least there were no actual tears.

"...Uta-San...I heard voices..."

The tattooed ghoul nodded and rose from his chair, guiding the sleepy woman to a stool across from him. It didn't take long to catch her up with what he and his friends were thinking, and she honestly had no problem staying with him while this whole situation was blown up. The mysterious Dove came after Ayaka, what's stopping them from coming after her? The most important thing to Sakuya at the moment was finding out who the killer was, so both she and Ayaka could rest easy.

At that point in her life, Sukuya couldn't trust anyone except for Uta; Still, she had to at least pretend to be herself at work, even though living without Ayaka felt impossible. The person who attacked them could very well be at her office! From what the young designer knew, she had no enemies, and even though Ayaka was hard headed and spoke her mind, most people eventually adjusted to her personality, and for years no one has caused drama at either of their work places! It was troubling to know that someone wanted to cause you harm, but you didn't know who.

"I wouldn't worry too much if I were you. The person who attacked you and Akaya obviously know about Ghouls, and once they realize I'm a part of it, I'm sure they'll leave you alone."

Uta didn't want to sound cocky or arrogant, but it was pretty true. He was second to none, and no one wanted to mess with him. He may have appeared laid back and friendly, but everyone has a past, and his definitely left a mark on many people. Sakuya though couldn't help but giggle a bit, her smile was weak and her body was still trembling with soft sobs, but her emotions were true, and Uta was amusing her with his statements.

"You look really tough, but I bet you're just a big softy~ I bet you couldn't even hurt a fly~"

The oblivious beauty continued to smile at Uta, still having so much to learn about him. As for the Mask Maker, he simply smiled and took a sip of his coffee, actually wanting her to believe that. If she ever found out about his past and current actions, she was in for a shock.

"You're very cute, but you needn't worry. Just make sure you come back to the shop after you're done with your job. Until this whole thing is resolved I would feel more comfortable with you here."

The brunette smiled and nodded her head, thinking that they were practically dating now! Uta was very handsome and kind to her, so she honestly didn't mind. He was right too, so there was no point in arguing.

Several days later, both Sakuya and Uta attended the funeral of Ayaka Sato. Many of their co-workers were there, and no one seemed to stand out. The cause of her death was obviously a lie to the people who weren't there, but Sakuya knew the truth. Ayaka was murdered, and she was going to find out who did it.

After the service, Uta said his goodbye's and returned to his shop, leaving Sakuya to walk with her co-workers back to the designing firm. Flashbacks from that evening played in her head over and over and over again, to the point where she didn't know someone was talking to her.

"Y-Yuno-San! A-are you okay?"

The lovely brunette was snapped out of her thoughts by a man named Yuto Watanabe, who worked in the billing part of her firm. They had only talked once or twice, and he was extremely average looking, but still was very nice. Sakuya didn't want to seem rude, so she bowed slightly and nodded her head, not wanting to cause someone else to worry.

"Oh, Watanabe-Kun, I'm sorry~ I'm just...adjusting~"

Sakuya smiled weakly and looked away, not wanting to cry in front of someone she barely knew; still, Yuto didn't get the hint, and continued the conversation which Sakuya wanted shortened.

"...I know this is hard for you Yuno-San but...maybe I could help? W-would you like to go to dinner with me tonight? We could talk about Sato-San and drink to celebrate her life."

Sakuya was quite shocked with the offer, but she wanted to stay honest to Uta-San and couldn't make him worry anymore.

"That's sweet of you, but I have plans tonight, I'm going over to a friend's hou-"

"Who? Do I know her?"

"..."

Watanabe was getting a bit upset, and Sakuya saw something frightening in his eyes. He didn't look physically threatening , but the glare withing his eyes said something different. Sakuya didn't know whether to lie or to tell the truth. Uta did say that if the person knew him, they would leave her alone though. Maybe playing that card would get him to leave her alone.

"_His_ name is Uta...and no...I don't think you would know him."

"I want to meet him, he's a friend right? I want to meet all your friends~"

At this point her co-worker was intimidating her, and Sakuya had lost her interest in the conversation. He was acting strange, and she didn't want to be a part of his sick game.

"He's my boyfriend. And I live with him Watanabe-Kun. Also, I'd rather you keep this a secret since I'm juggling both work and love, so if you'd excuse me."

Sakuya shoved past the average looking man, not turning to look back as she walked towards her apartment. Watanabe was suspicious though, and she was definitely going to tell Uta about that. Once the young designer made it to her apartment, she quickly packed her stuff and called for a ride, both her and her small dog sitting in the back of a taxi with the trunk full of clothes and makeup.

There was no way Sakuya was going to leave her dog alone for that long, and hopefully Uta wouldn't mind. Thankfully she packed at just the right moment. After she left, the unknown Dove destroyed the rest of her things, hoping that she would see this at a later date and get the hint. So much worse was going to happen...no one was prepared for what was coming their way.


	5. Chapter 5

"He was acting so weird too! Like when I said I was going to your place, he got all possessive and started asking me questions about you! I don't even know the guy but I can tell you that he's totally suspicious Uta-San"

"You don't have to call me San anymore Saya. And just ignore him, I'm sure he's just some weirdo who's upset that he can't get with you."

Sakuya pouted at Uta's response, hoping to get his approval to spy on a fellow co-worker of hers. It had been a few hours after the funeral of Ayaka Sato, and a very peculiar event happened right after. Wantanabe, a very average looking man in the billing department of the designing firm she worked at, approached Sakuya in hopes of a relationship, but when she turned him down, his attitude took a turn for the worst. Sakuya was safe in Uta's shop now, and thanks to him and his friends, she was on the track of healing when it came to Ayaka's death. Still, they all knew it was a murder, and they needed to find out who did it.

"That guy gave me the creeps Uta. He looked so normal and innocent...I bet he's the type to look up child pornagraphy or something."

Uta, who was working on a mask, shot his head up with a look of discontent, not really liking the subject that they were on. Wantanabe did indeed sound like a predator of some sort, but he didn't want to get into detail of some loser's life.

"Saya do you have a mind filter? I don't want to talk about some person's illegal fetishes, especially since I don't even know the guy."

A somewhat pouty look made its way to Uta's features as he tossed an eyeball in his mouth, munching on it quietly as he started to stitch up one side of the mask he was making. That being said though, if this co-worker continued to give Sakuya trouble, Uta would have no choice but to make an appearance and reinforce the fact that he was the only guy Sakuya needed in her life~ At least romantically that is.

Sakuya on the other hand smiled cutely at her mask making friend, continuing to spin around in one of his wheeled chairs as her long hair followed beautifully behind her. She had changed into something more comfortable seeing as how she was staying with Uta for the next week, hoping that being casual and relaxed around each other would bring them closer together.

"Uta~ Do you have any fetishes? You seem like the kind of guy who likes whips and chains~!"

Sakuya let out a cute laugh as she stopped the chair, not even realizing that Uta was giving her an annoyed look. Such a stereotype. Just because he made masks and looked the way he did doesn't mean he's a total freak in the bedroom.

"Don't you think you should buy me dinner before you ask such silly questions?"

Uta wasn't truly mad, and to be honest, he was quite pleased to see a smile on Sakuya's face. After everything that had happened to her, she deserved to be happy, at least for a few hours. It was at that moment both Itori and Yomo walked into Hysy, both of them baring gifts of condolences for Sakuya.

"Saya-San! I brought you some wine from my bar! It's from the 1960's~ I bet it tastes amazing, you should have some tonight~"

Itori smiled cutely as she pushed the bottle into Sakuya's grip, tickled pink that there was another female to talk to now. As for Yomo, he simply placed the fruit basket onto a nearby table, taking a seat quietly as to not disturb the conversation that was happening.

"So, did you find out anything about Ayaka's death? I've heard from some of my old friends that murderers always go back to the scene of the crime or secretly attend the funeral for some kind of ego boost."

Itori folded her arms close to her body as she nodded her head, thinking that what she was saying was 100% logical, and that they should do some detective work. Uta on the other hand didn't want Sakuya anywhere near the scene of the crime, or to have contact with the person who killed her best friend.

"Sakuya needs to focus on getting better. I don't think playing cops will help that. Besides that could be dangerous."

The tattooed ghoul didn't even look up as he was talking, too busy to even give eye contact. Yomo was seen nodding his head in agreement also, thinking that it was bad enough one ghoul was slain. The red headed beauty huffed in irritation, about to argue until Sakuya's phone started to wildly vibrate. Not only was she getting text messages from an unknown number, her other best friend, Rarako, was calling as well.

The young woman shot up from her chair and walked into the hallway, outside of earshot from the ghoul trio. Sakuya then answered her phone with a sense of urgency, hoping that nothing bad was happening to her last best friend as well.

"Rarako? Are you okay?"

"Wha-? Y-yeah I'm fine! I was calling to check up on you! I went to visit you but when I went to your apartment the door was busted open! Everything in your place is just ruined Sakuya! Is Flash with you? I couldn't find him!"

A sinking feeling grew heavy in Sakuya's heart when she heard that her place had been destroyed, making it clear that the person who attacked Ayaka was actaully after her instead. This was terrifying, and the shaken girl had lost her voice midway during the conversation. The words that she did want to force out were stuck in her throat, and it was becoming harder to breathe. That's when someone snatched her phone away from behind, standing protectively close to her as if saying everything would be settled soon.

"Rarako-Chan? This is Uta-San. I'm Sakuya's friend and she's at my shop right now. If you don't mind, would you come over to talk? We have a feeling someone is after Saya and it would be safer for you to be here too. Do you think you could come over in the next hour?"

Sakuya turned to see Uta nodding calmly as a muffled voice was coming from her phone, most of it unintelligible. It was at that point Uta turned his back, giving Rarako the address and thanking her for being able to come down. If Ayaka was attacked simply for being associated with Sakuya, then it would be best if Rarako wasn't left alone as well. After talking for a few more minutes, Uta hung up and handed her phone back.

"I have a feeling that your friend likes you dog more than she likes you."

The panic in Sakuya's eyes slowly faded away as a smile took form on her cute face. Uta always made her feel better. He was both a blessing and a curse. If she had never met him, Ayaka might still be alive, but without him, her life would be black and white, dull and boring, just an average day.

It didn't take too long for Rarako to show up, her sweet and feminine voice rang out in the mask shop as she walked down the multiple stairs.

"Sakuya! I'm here! Who was that guy who took your phone?"

The slender woman walked in with her clutch sized purse and some dog food, making everyone believe that maybe she did care more for Flash the Pomeranian instead of her actual human friend! Rarako was a very sweet person though, inside and out. Her long blonde hair was tossed up in a bun as her green eyes shone with curiosity. Of course Rarako always jumped to the wrong conclusions and went straight for Yomo, taking one of his large hands into both of her tiny ones in a ferocious handshake.

"You must be Uta! It's so nice to meet you! Sakuya hasn't had a boyfriend since high school and I'm pretty sure she's still a virgin so be nice to her! You're so handsome! I'm glad she has a guy like you in her life now~ Her parents are gonna be so proud of her! For a while they were scared that she was going to bring home a guy covered with tattoos and piercings but you seem normal enough! Good job Sakuya!"

The blush on Sakuya's face seemed to be a new shade of red as Rarako went on and on, embarrassing her to no end. That's when the extreme talker threw a thumbs up her way, making the simple mistake more than awkward. Uta on the other hand was very amused. It seemed that Saya had a taste for 'bad boys' at a young age, and he was glad to fit her tastes exactly. He too craved the opposite, and found her innocent persona quite fasinating.

"R-Rarako, that's not Uta. This is Uta."

It was at that point Sakuya turned and pointed to the real Uta, his attitude was still relaxed and composed as he stood up and bowed to her slightly. His straight black hair was tossed back into a messy bun while his tank top was loose enough to fall off his shoulders, making his back and chest tattoos more noticable. He seemed like a trouble maker, but oh it was so much worse than that.

"I'm Uta. Nice to meet you. That man you're holding onto is Yomo. He's my friend also. Hope you don't mind Sakuya liking a guy like me instead."

Rarako quickly let go of Yomo's hand in a nervous manner, becoming the second one in the room to have a heavy blush on her face.

"Of course you're Uta! It's so nice to meet you! Thank you so much for taking care of my friend~ She's like a little sister to me so I appreciate it!"

The busty blonde quickly redeemed herself and made an impressive recovery, almost skipping to Uta to shake his hand and welcome him to her friendship group. All the warm fuzzy feelings were lost when she remembered something though, which is way she came down in the first place.

"Oh, that reminds me, you said Sakuya could be in danger?...Does this have anything to do with Ayaka...?"

It was at that point that All four of them sat Rarako down and explained that Ayaka was attacked and killed by someone who could possibly be after Sakuya for reasons unknown. They left out anything to do with Ghouls to make the explanation less complicated, but in the end Rarako understood it without any secrets being revealed.

All five of them came to the conclusion that Sakuya would stay with her best friend, and if she needed to, she could always come to Uta or Itori. After gathering her things and stuffing them into a taxi with Rarako, Sakuya was ready to go. Of course she wanted to stay with Uta and develop their relationship, but he was right, she needed to stay with her bestie and make sure nothing happened to her.

"...I wanted to stay with you Uta...Do you not like me or something?"

The look on Sakuya's face was indeed pouty, but at the same time it was obvious she was teasing as well, only wanting Uta to know that she wanted to spend more time with him, and that she was very interested in him. Uta wasn't dense either, so he caught her little flirts and hints, and he too wanted to be more involved with her, but right now her protection was key. Having a rogue dove attacking random ghouls simply for being involved with someone else was ridiculous, and they needed to be caught, but not at Sakuya's expense.

Still, Uta couldn't help but smile as he leaned down and gave her cheek a small and soft kiss, letting her know that once this was all over with they really could pay more attention to whatever relationship they had!

"Text me when you get there. I'll try and visit you at work sometimes okay? Come over whenever you feel like it too."

After saying their goodbyes, Uta waved the taxi off, thinking that he might as well have a smoke break while he was standing outside his shop anyways. As he was taking out his Vape Pen, a very average looking man with a map stopped in front of him, a look of confusion written all over his face. He didn't look like he was from the area, and Uta couldn't help but tweak an eyebrow upwards as scented vapor was released through his nostrils.

"You lost?"

The tattooed ghoul cocked his head to the side as he inhaled through the pen again, the scent of cotton candy laid heavy in the air. The unknown man made eye contact with Uta and smiled nervously, nodding his head in an embarrassed manner.

"Y-yeah I am actually. I was trying to find a mask shop-well...the owner actually. Do you known anyone named Uta? I didn't catch his last name so I know it's a long shot~"

This conversation became awkward for Uta, who had no idea how this guy even knew him. He seemed so normal it was almost boring. Still, for the sake of safety, Uta came up with a quick excuse so he wouldn't have to give this guy too much information.

"Sorry...he just stepped outside the shop for a break. Did you need to talk to him?"

This guy didn't have that ghoul scent to him, so it was obvious he was a human. What wasn't obvious was why he wanted to talk to him in the first place. That's when the average Joe continued to talk, a pleasant yet fake smile still plastered to his annoying face.

"Ah, do you work for him? I suppose a man like you couldn't get a job anywhere else. Anyways, I heard that my girlfriend was cheating on me with a guy named Uta, and I wanted to tell him to just stay away from her. I don't want to fight but I love her, and don't want to lose her.

The way this guy was talking really pissed Uta off, and he couldn't help but furrow his brow in irritation when he mentioned his looks. That's when something he said piqued the ghoul's interest. Uta hadn't been seeing anyone, so maybe it was just a mistake? Uta sighed out the thick fog he inhaled earlier, not really wanting to converse with the guy but he didn't want his name tarnished, he had a business to run after all.

"Odd. The only regular girls that come here are his friends. What's her name?"

"Ah, it's Sakuya...Yuno Sakuya. Look, you seem like a nice fellow, and I don't want any trouble, but if you see her around here tell her that her boyfriend wouldn't be happy with what she's doing. And also tell your boss that if he's smart he wouldn't mess with my girl. I know people that could ruin his life ya know."

The man in front of Uta was a complete sociopath, and Uta didn't take threats lightly at all. Was this the guy Sakuya was talking about earlier? If it was, he would have to look into that...

"Hmm...You should probably leave now...it gets dangerous around here at this hour."

With that, Uta blew a thick cloud of vapor into the man's face, ending the conversation on his own terms. The mysterious man coughed and waved the aerosol away with his map, unable to stop Uta as he walked back into his shop. All Uta could think about was how that guy really pissed him off, and that he was creepy too. There was no doubt in his mind that he was somehow involved with the death of Ayaka...

...It looked like Uta would have to make a trip to see Sakuya at work real soon.


	6. Chapter 6

The week wasn't going by quick enough if you asked Sakuya, who sighed as she sat at her desk looking up furniture for a pesky client she had. They said they wanted 'Urban-Street' decor for their cafe, but that was it! This was the toughest client she's had in months! Another soft sigh was heard from the sweet designer as she continued to type away in the search bar of her computer, not even noticing a certain someone approach her desk mere minutes from the usual lunch break time.

"U-um, Yuno-San~ Are you busy? I was hoping you would eat lunch with me today."

Unfortunately for Sakuya, the person looming over her desk was none other than Wantanabe, a pathetic look of sadness and hope smeared all over his features. He wanted her so bad, to break her down until she was begging for him in the most erotic way possible, but she kept on denying him. Today was going to be different though, he was sure she would fall in love with him soon!

"Oh...S-sorry Wantanabe-Kun, I have so much work today I was just going to skip my break to research more. I hope you understand."

He may have been creepy and weird, but Sakuya wasn't about to embarrass him in their place of work in front of everyone! He probably deserved to be rejected harshly in front of people, but she had an image to keep, and that was being nice and polite.

Wantanabe felt very deflated though, and couldn't help but frown deeply as his shoulders sank. Why did she keep doing this to him? They had been working together for two years now! There was no reason for her to keep breaking him down like this!

"...Are you sleeping with him? Are you and Uta actually seeing each other!?"

The tone of Wantanbe's voice was harsh and loud, attracting the attention of several other designers that shared their working space with her. Sakuya on the other hand wanted to cry from embarrassment since he was not only spatting out her personal life, but yelling at her too. She was never good with confrontation, so she had no idea what to do!

"We haven't even been on our second date. I'm not that easy."

Wantanbe's eyes widened with shock, as did Sakuya's since she wasn't the one who said that! Standing right behind the abuser was in fact Uta, a look of irritation all over his handsome face as he held out a carry out bag full of mini sandwhiches he bought for the object of Wantanabe's affections. He had told Sakuya last week that he was going to visit her every now and then to make sure she was okay, but he never said when.

"Ah. You're that weirdo who threatened me outside my own shop. How've ya been?"

Uta had a bored expression as he tilted his head to the side, casually walking over and placing the bag on Sakuya's desk. So what Sakuya said about him was right...more than likely he was the killer, or at least involved. The sociopath had a confused look on his face as he pointed at Uta, recalling the conversation they had about a week ago.

"Y-you're Uta!? That's not what you said last Tuesday! You said he was your boss!"

"I never said that. I said he stepped out for a break, which he did. You saw me smoking did you not?"

A strangled sigh escaped Uta's lips as he looked down at Sakuya who still had a heavy blush all over her cute cheeks. He didn't want to embarrass her anymore, especially since she was at work right now. They could talk more about it after hours.

"Anyways. Saya's my girlfriend, and if you don't mind, I was hoping to have lunch with her. You should probably take your break somewhere else..."

With that Uta turned to his Saya-San, holding out his hand for her to grab onto. Once her small hand was in his own, he pulled her up and lead her to the break room. As for Wantanabe, he stood there, his ego crushed and deflated...all he could think about was how they would pay for this...she wouldn't get away with toying and teasing with his heart.

/

"You should just ignore that guy...if he keeps talking to you let me know and I'll handle it."

"Well I can't exactly ignore him when he won't leave me alone! If he keeps this up I'll have to move my desk into the Lady's Room or something!"

Sakuya sighed as she gently grabbed a mini sandwhich, her long hair was placed in an elegant bun while her work clothes were a certain kind of professional while remaining casual in a sense. She looked like a hard worker, but approachable as well...Uta couldn't help but think she was adorable. He really just wanted to take a bite out of her round and pink cheeks.

"...Just let me know everytime he talks to you...I can't keep stressing about this."

Uta sighed as he rested his chin on the palm of his hand, tweaking an eyebrow upwards every time Sakuya took a bite of her food. She was tempting, but he had control. At least when it came to his appetite he had control. That's when Sakuya remembered something, making her already shimmered cheeks go a tad bit darker.

"S-so um...back there...you said I was um...your g-girlfriend? Did you really...ya know...mean that?"

The once relaxed and carefree Sakuya was now tense with anticipation, her slender body was almost shaking since she was so nervous about how her crush would respond. She liked him so very much! Even though they were beyond different, she still wanted a relationship with him...she was falling in love with him.

"Hmm...yeah. You want to be my girlfriend right? I was just thinking, I'm gonna be around you a lot more thanks to whatever romantic issues you have sooo why not get in on that? I'm bored anyways...and I find you very interesting."

Uta crossed his arms and nodded a bit, not wanting to admit it but he was VERY interested in Sakuya and he felt like he was falling for her too. He wouldn't mind being a boyfriend...he wouldn't mind being Sakuya's boyfriend to be exact.

Sakuya, on the other hand, pouted as Uta's coarse words. What was he playing at? He needed to be more honest with his feelings!

"Fine! If you really want to be my boyfriend, then I'll be your girlfriend. I want to stay with you at least three times a week though~ And I want you to be more intimate with me! I haven't been spoiled in a long time and I want to be treated like a princess~ Deal?"

The requests that Saya was making actually made Uta laugh a bit, a sly smirk made its way on his features as he nodded, agreeing to this relationship status.

"Sure~ I guess that makes us a couple. I have a lot of masks to make tonight but if you wanna stop by after work we can get a couple hours in...I better get going too. Gotta lot of work. I'll see you later, girlfriend."

With that Uta rose from his seat and walked over to Sakuya, leaning over and capturing her soft and plump lips with his own slightly chilled ones. They were still in public, so he couldn't be too passionate...but that didn't stop him from softly stroking her neck and nibbling at her bottom lip, earning a cute giggle from the girl he was kissing. This was just what Sakuya needed to get her mind off of all the bad things that were happening, and Uta felt like he had more of a spark in his life now.

After the soft yet spicy kiss, The Mask Maker pulled away, saying his goodbye once more before turning and leaving, the taste of his new girlfriend still fresh on his tongue. Sakuya couldn't help but smile shyly as a few of her co-workers swarmed in from behind. Three other designers swooped in and took the open seats, their eyes sparkling with excitement.

"Sakuya-Chan! Who was that guy? That kiss was so hot! Are you guys dating?"

The poor woman stiffened with shock as she was bombarded with questions. All she could do was nod as a unanimous squeal was heard from the trio of curious females.

"Oh my gosh Sakuya-Chan! For the past month Wantanabe-Kun has been telling everyone that you two were dating! He even said that you two were on the track to marriage..."

That statement shouldn't have been surprising since Wantanabe was a complete weirdo, but it crossed more the a couple of lines to Sakuya! He didn't even know her, and only last week was when he said his first words to her! What was his goal here?

"Oh...well he's not my boyfriend. That was Uta-San and we've known each other for a few weeks now~ It may seem like we're rushing it a bit but...I dunno there's just something about him ya know?"

Another round of squeals were heard as the three girls continued to ask Sakuya questions, making it more than obvious that she had new work friends to talk to about her blossoming romance.

/

After Sakuya was done with work, she happily made her way to Uta's Mask Shop, skipping down the stairs and creaking the door open to see that her handsome boyfriend was working on yet another project.

"Utaaa~! I'm hooome!"

Sakuya pounced in and wrapped her arms around Uta's shoulders, giggling as he sighed and turned in his wheelie chair. It was nice to see her again, but how on earth did she have so much energy? It was so late now!

"If you have enough energy to hug me, I'm sure you have enough to give me a shoulder rub...I've made over five masks today and I'm sore."

Another sigh left his lips as Sakuya nodded and perked herself up on his desk, tugging her boyfriend back while he was still in his chair. This was so relaxing~ Finally Sakuya had the relationship she always wanted! And the best part was that Uta was everything she dreamed of in a guy!

"You've been working so hard Uta~ On masks and when it comes to protecting me~ Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

The way Sakuya was rubbing at the knots in his shoulders made Uta's head fall back a bit, almost purring since he was so relaxed now. He had to admit, he liked having his alone time and not having anyone to truly worry about...but at the same time Sakuya was too cute to pass up, and having a girlfriend like her could never be a bad thing.

"You're fine Sakuya...just...don't talk to Wantanabe anymore...he gives me the creeps."

Uta pursed his lips out slightly at the thought, earning a cute giggled from his girlfriend as she hopped down from her seat on the table and sat herself in his lap. They were the most different people in the whole universe it felt like, but he stole her heart and she liked it that way.

"I'll try to stay away from him from now on~ Don't tell me you're jealous though!"

"Hah...If anything he's jealous of me. I dunno why but the guys obsessed with you."

"It's 'cause I'm cute! Isn't that why you're dating me?"

Uta smirked as he tightened his grip on his girlfriend's waist, her chest and neck were easily exposed to him as she continued to sit on his lap. Maybe having a girlfriend wasn't so bad.

"I'm dating you so I can do stuff like this~"

Without saying another word, Uta gently placed his lips on Sakuya's collarbone, sucking on her soft skin to get a rise outta her. Just as he thought, Sakuya was beyond innocent, and he would bet his bottom dollar that no other man has done that to her. Just to continue the excitement, Uta carefully unbuttoned the first three buttons of her sheer blouse, exposing her cleavage and bra. She may have dressed conservatively and professionally, but even Uta had to admit that her body was sexy when unclothed. He would have never guessed she had such a curvy body from all the clothes she wore.

Sakuya on the other hand was a hot mess. The blush on her face was a dark crimson while her hands were gripped painfully tight on Uta's shoulders to keep from losing control. Just from the soft kisses he was placing on her body made her tremble and want tp give into him. It took all the strength in the world to keep from moaning his name, of course it didn't take much to make her call out. It wasn't until she felt Uta bite and suck on the skin of her large breasts that she gasped in both pain and pleasure.

"Ah~! U-Uta! Don't~!"

Uta didn't answer, nor did he stop since he was loving how needy and sexy she was being. She said don't, but he could tell that she wa just being shy. If she really wanted him to stop, she would let him know, and he'd respect that. Right now though? It seemed like she wanted this more than he did! Without even realizing it, Sakuya moved her legs to each side of him, now straddling and grinding into him everytime he left a small bite mark on her chest. It was that action that made him stop and look up at her.

"...If you keep moving like that it's going to get me excited..."

The busty brunette stopped and opened her eyes, looking down at her still composed boyfriend with tears of pleasure in her eyes and the blush still heavy on her face. That's when she realized that they were indeed in a risky position.

"O-oh! I'm so sorry! I'll just-"

With that Sakuya got up, huffing out a sigh in embarrassment and disappointment...she kinda wanted to go all the way with him but he was right...they just started dating.

Uta nodded in understanding as he too stood up, pulling her by the waist and hugging her close to his own toned body.

"Don't pout. I just don't want to rush you. Besides it's late, I'm sure Rarako is worried about you."

Sakuya smiled cutely and hugged him back, thinking that he was the best boyfriend ever since he cared so much about her. Yet he didn't care enough about what her co-workers would think about the multiple hickeys that covered her collarbone, chest, and breasts. 

"Okay! I'll be going then! Can I come over tomorrow?"

"Sure. Let's get a drink after you're done with work. Text me when you get home."

With that said and done, Sakuya left her boyfriend and took the subway home, someone in the shadows following her the whole time.

Once she was safely in the kitchen of her new apartment she shared with her second best friend, she quickly took out her phone and started to text Uta, telling him that she was okay...until the door slammed shut once more.

Startled and somewhat anxious, Sakuya jolted to her senses and turned quickly to see who it was. Rarako said she would be working late at the office...there's no way it would be her.

"H-hello?"

The cautious Sakuya stepped out in the living room only to find a strange man with a huge scar across his face sitting in the love seat. In his hands a butcher's knife was glistening in the dim light, a sadistic smile curved onto his rugged features.

"Ah. You're Sakuya Yuno right? Yuto always had a thing for the average looking girls~ Has since he was in the third grade."

"Who...who are you?"

Sakuya gulped as she clutched her phone in her right hand, backing up into the wall as the unknown intruder approached her. She studied his face carefully, memorizing everything from the scar that ran from the left side of his forehead to the right side of his bottom lip, to the brand and design of his sleek glasses. If he was going to assualt her, she would at least be able to pick him from a line-up.

"You don't recognize me? How many of your friends do I have to kill for you to remember me?"

The taller man loomed over her, knife still steady in his massive grip. It was a terrifying moment for Sakuya, who was now face to face with Ayaka's killer.

"Yuto is tired of you playing around with his heart Sakuya. He thought that if he could get rid of all the people you love, you'd finally come to him...but that's not the case...is it?"

He lifted his arm and with the knife, pointed to all the love marks Uta had made earlier that evening.

"No-Face made these didn't he? You're quite the risk taker you are~ Sleeping with the most violent one in the 4th ward~ Of course he hasn't caused much of a scene since moving but...still, he's a sadistic one ya know~ Yuto doesn't like him at all...and I don't think he cares much for you either."

Sakuya's gulp echoed in her brain as she started to panic, her thumb darting quicky over her touch screen as if she was texting someone. The murderer was still making eye contact though as he sighed and moved inches closer to her.

"It's a shame, you're a gorgeous woman. Yuto is such a brat though. He told me to tell you, that if he can't have you..."

Before the scarred man finished his sentence, he plunged the knife deep into Sakuya's chest, the blade cutting into her heart as if she was made of paper. A loud gasp was the only thing heard as she collapsed on the plush floor, blood barely trickling out since the knife was still steady in her body. The world around her was spinning and growing dark as Ayaka's killer continued to loom over her, his smirk the only thing in her vision.

"...No one can"


	7. Chapter 7

[*Sexual situations present: Discretion Advised*]

The lights were soft, and there was a fuzzy feeling all over her body. It was hard to breathe, but it didn't hurt...there was no pain, just an uncontrollable wave of peaceful sleepiness. Sakuya wasn't afraid to die...she felt ready even though her life was barely lived.

There was a floating feeling as muffled mumbles were all she could hear, not one word was intelligible. She thought she was dying, she wanted to die, but a familiar face was seen as her dreaming was slowly fading away.

_Ayaka_

/ / /

Sakuya's eyes shot open as she gasped for air, a sense of panic spread through her body as she nervously looked around the room. She was in a hospital bed, a gown covered her as IV's poked out of her arms, feeding her fluids to keep from dehydrating. The last thing she remembered was being stabbed in the chest by the unknown killer with the terrifying grin and the hideous scar. That's when another memory popped into her mind. Without letting the attacker know, she had texted the first person in her messaging list, asking them to help. How did she survive though?

"Oh. Thank goodness you're awake~ I've already lost one daughter, there's no way I could lose you too."

There in the doorway was Ayaka's mother, a soft yet sad smile was on her beautiful face, a small cup of black coffee rested in her hands. It was her that received the message. Her and her husband rushed to Rarako's apartment to find Ayaka's childhood best friend bleeding out on the floor, the knife still plunged deep into her chest. Sakuya was sure that she was dying, and that the blade had severed her heart...how was she still here?"

"... ...how am I...How am I still alive?"

Sakuya looked deep into Mrs. Sato's trembling eyes, a look of discomfort and pain set heavy in the air.

"Sakuya...The knife had pierced a major heart cavity...if you didn't get an emergency transplant right then and there...you would have passed away...I-I couldn't bare the thought of losing you too."

The grief-stricken mother sighed as she sat down in a generic looking armchair as she grabbed onto Sakuya's hand gently, a pleading look of sorrow was painted on her beautiful yet tired face.

"Ayaka died not too long ago Sakuya...and she was an organ donor. I knew that you and her had the same blood type, so I had the surgeon give you her heart."

Tears started to stream down Mrs. Sato's face, soft gasping and sobs were barely heard throughout the sparcely decorated room as the two women continued to hold each other's hands tightly. By now, Mrs. Sato knew that Sakuya was enlightened with the truth about what Ayaka and her family were. Sakuya knew that her dearest friend was a ghoul, and Mrs. Sato was well aware that she knew that.

"...Mrs. Sato...Ayaka...she was a ghoul though..."

The depressed mother nodded her head gently, letting the bulbous tears fall to the floor as she continued to give soft eye contact to her second daughter.

"I hope that one day you'll forgive me, but I had no choice. I refuse to bury anyone else. My daughter's heart is what's keeping you alive right now...I'm so sorry for being selfish."

The sobbing gradually got louder until Mrs. Sato was crying like a new born child. There was no way Sakuya would ever blame her for the decision she made, after all her quick thinking saved her life! Still...she had Ayaka's heart beating inside of her...the heart of a powerful and courageous ghoul.

/ / /

Hours had passed; Sakuya was sitting motionless in her hospital bed staring at the food with much disgust. She wasn't hungry anymore...she tried to eat it before, but it was vile...she wouldn't feed that food to her enemies. Her once bright and vivid eyes were dull and soulless...Sakuya felt like she had nothing to live for. Her life was going to be forever different and there was nothing she could do about it.

The stressful and heavy thoughts broke her emotions like they were glass, and before she knew it, Sakuya was sobbing loudly into the tense space that was her room. Her shaking hands covered her eyes as tears poured out and landed on the soiled food, everything about her felt broken and defeated.

Out of nowhere, the tray full of bland food was tossed onto the floor, the clattering sound brought the young woman back to reality as her body was being gently pulled into a hug. Silence hung in the air as Sakuya realized who it was and hugged back, burying her face into the soft fabric of their cardigan.

"...I'm not going to tell you that it gets easier, or that eventually you'll learn to live with it...but what I will tell you is that I'm here for you...and I'm not leaving you alone."

Uta narrowed his eyes as he breathed in her scent, Sakuya's identity gone and replaced with Ayaka's. This had happened once before to someone he knew...but never to someone he cared deeply about.

The situation they were in was now more severe than before, and if something wasn't done, someone could once again die. It was unfortunate that Ayaka had been killed, but if it wasn't for her Sakuya would be buried too, and no one else deserved to have their life shortened. Sakuya gripped Uta's sweater tightly, her body still trembling from fright and uncertainty.

"Uta...what's going to happen to me? What should I do?"

The distressed girl pulled away to look into Uta's red eyes, fear and depression lingered in her once bright and shining personality. The killer left thinking that he had completed his job, thankfully that wasn't the case, and now they could strike back and end this once and for all.

"You have to stay here for a few more days, but once you're out, we'll do something about Wantanabe and his hit-man."

With that Uta kissed his girlfriend's forehead, getting up and handing her the coffee he brought in earlier.

"Food isn't going to taste how it used to, so until then drink this...it'll help."

Uta knew that she wasn't completely human anymore. Everything she was raised to believe and her ways that she was set in were about to crumble. She was a human who had to live the life of a Ghoul...there were only a handful of people who knew what a horrible fate that was.

/ / /

Days had passed and Sakuya was finally out of the hospital, but that didn't mean she was better though. All the things that she used to love now had no meaning. The Sunday mornings she would spend in the coffee shop eating sweets and drinking lattes were now over with, along with the weekday evenings she spent with Rarako and her parents, eating home cooked pastas and stews...she had no idea how much she liked food until she was forced to eat something else.

Still, Uta kept her head up by texting her and calling her everyday, even setting up a day they could go out for a real date. Needless to say Sakuya was pretty excited, and was happy that even though times were hard she could still find a silver lining somewhere.

Uta had texted her earlier that week and asked her to meet him at a place called Anteiku Cafe, so they could talk and have coffee together, and of course there was no way Sakuya could turn him down! The once somber and lethargic female managed to dress extra cute for her boyfriend, even taking time to fix her hair and makeup for the first time in what felt like forever! She just wanted to feel like her old self again.

The anxious, young designer walked to said cafe and opened the door, a sweet chime went off to alert the staff that a guest had arrived.

"Good afternoon~ Welcome to Anteiku Cafe, table for one?"

A tall man with chocolate colored hair and eyes greeted Sakuya cheerfully, his attire was professional and refreshing as was his attitude. The nervous woman smiled and shook her head, using her slender fingers to inform him that she needed a table for two. He nodded and sat her in the back corner by a window, the soft sunlight trickled in between the spaces of the curtains.

"I'm Enji Koma~ Have you been here before?"

"Oh...um, no I haven't. I'm waiting for my boyfriend. He told me to order two of the special coffees? I'm not sure if I remembered correctly though..."

Koma's eyes widened a bit in surprise, assuming she was a ghoul but...she didn't really act like it. Either way he wasn't about to deny her service!

"...Sure! I brew a mean coffee so you're in for a treat!"

He gave a thumbs up and walked away with a smile on his face, quickly going behind the bar and starting up the special order. It was then that Sakuya took time to look around and study the people in the shop with her.

The servers all looked really nice, a few of them even looked like college kids! Then again working at a cafe part time was something a lot of kids did these days. That's when she spotted a boy with a patch over one of his eyes, making her wonder if he was the clumsy type, or if he had gotten into an accident. The girl next time him was scolding him for making a mistake, but Sakuya could tell that they were friends; she couldn't help but think they would make a sweet couple~

It was then that the chime went off once more, the staff looking back in slight shock when they realized who it was.

"Ah, Uta-San, what brings you here? Did you bring any new masks to show?"

The girl with short hair walked up to Uta who gently shook his head. The tattooed ghoul was wearing his signature look, dressed in a slouchy black cardigan along with his white sleeveless shirt and some jeans, the same unemotional look on his handsome face.

"No I'm still working on that, I'm here on a date."

The whole cafe went quiet as they stopped what they were doing just to give wide eyes to Uta. The man, feeling the awkwardness, tensed up; a look of confusion replaced the calm one he had before.

"...What?"

It was at that point a few of the workers approached him, eager to find out what kind of girl the Mask Maker was into. Even Touka was a bit curious! Everyone had their own opinion about his type, but they had no idea his date was already there.

"Whoa! Uta-San who is it? Does she look like you? Covered in tattoos and what not?"

Uta, who was now visibly irritated, moved away from the crowd, trying not to cause a scene.

"I'm trying to relax with my girlfriend...please stop asking obnoxious questions now. Thanks."

His reply was blunt and maybe a bit rude, but he honestly didn't care, he just wanted to be with Sakuya for as long as possible. She needed all the support she could get. He sighed as he saw her in the back, a cute smile on her face as she waved at him sweetly. What a relief, she seemed okay now, and even had pigment to her once sickly pale skin. She was recovering, and for that Uta was grateful.

"Sorry for the wait, I had to drop a mask off on the way here. How are you?"

"It's okay~ And...I'm okay~"

The beautiful girl kept steady eye contact with her boyfriend, a tinge of sadness still thick and heavy in her mannerisms. The way she tapped her long fingernails on her coffee cup and how tense her shoulders were made it obvious that she was having a hard time coping, and Uta was hoping to make it easier on her.

"You've been pretty strong these past few days. I'm proud of you, ya know that?"

His sweet words earned an innocent blush and smile from Sakuya, her eyes glistening with affection and appreciation.

"Thanks Uta~ Are you busy? Can I come over tonight?"

"Sure, I'll have dinner ready for you by then."

The word 'dinner' had a different ring to it now. No more late night pizza, or cheat days of nothing but candy and ice cream...Sakuya normally had a healthy diet but she was going to miss all of it regardless.

"...If I knew this was going to happen, I would have eaten all my favorite foods more often...I shouldn't take things for granted anymore."

A soft and sad sigh left Sakuya's plump lips, her brows furrowed in distress as Uta's frown became a bit more pronounced. This was hard but they could get through it, and everyone that had hurt her would pay deeply.

"...Do you have a favorite actor? Or artist maybe? I'll kill them and bring them to you, then you can tell all your friends that you had a famous person for dinner~"

Uta smiled and clapped his hands together as if that was a brilliant idea, giving Sakuya a glance of another emotion he normally kept hidden. Sakuya smiled and laughed cutely, a blush lightly appeared on her cheeks

"C'mon Uta~ Let's go back to your place~"

"You sure? I'm pretty sure it's a mess."

"Yeah I'm sure~ Let's go and snuggle in your bed~"

With that Uta shot up and placed money on the table, quickly grabbing Sakuya's small hand and practically dragging her out of the cafe without saying another word. It was hard to believe that Uta somehow managed to get a girlfriend like that...at least that's what some of the servers were thinking.

/ / /

The couple could barely make it down the stairs of Hysy as their lips locked for another juicy and passionate kiss, their hands exploring each other's bodies as their internal temperature was rising. Without skipping a beat, Uta tossed off his cardigan, revealing his multiple tattoos as Sakuya ran her slender fingers over his muscular arms.

Shortly after the cardigan was thrown off, Uta proceeded to remove his shirt, breaking the steamy kiss to abandon the pesky article of clothing. While he was doing that, Sakuya unzipped her sundress, letting it fall onto the store's floor as she stepped over it. The fiery woman once again wrapped her arms around Uta's neck, pressing her seductive body onto his own as they continued to kiss with much vigor.

Their tongues intertwined in a lust filled battle of dominance, soft moans would leave Sakuya's mouth as she lifted one of her legs up, resting it on Uta's waist as if she wanted to straddle him like before. That's when the tattooed ghoul grabbed both of her thighs and propped her onto him, her high priced wedges still strapped around her ankles as if they were in an erotic movie.

With her legs wrapped around him, Uta moved them both passed the door between his house and his shop, carrying her to his bedroom. Once the door was closed and locked, Uta gently placed Sakuya back first on his bed, taking a hot minute to tug his pants off as he got in between her legs once more. The only thing lighting the room was the weak afternoon sunlight, barely breaking through the blinds on both windows, making majority of the room dark but with just enough light to see all the emotions flooding the air.

Uta couldn't help but groan in slight pleasure as Sakuya rubbed the large bulge in his boxers that was his erection, leaning over her and into his night stand to get a condom. He wasn't sure if a human could get pregnant with a ghoul...but he wasn't about to risk it. Without any further delay, Uta quickly tore the condom packaging open and slid it on his pulsing length, tugging Sakuya's panties to the side as if they were in a hurry.

The inexperienced girl wrapped her arms around Uta's neck and tugged him closer to her body, biting her lip nervously as he used one hand to steady himself and the other to hold her leg close to his hips. A soft and strangled moan left her lips as she felt him penetrate her, her back arching upwards as he somehow fitted his large length into her tight entrance. Tears were being squeezed out of her eyes as Uta started to thrust slowly into her, paying extra attention to her neck and chest as he left sweet kisses there repeatedly. Once he was sure she was used to him, he picked up his pace, the bed creaking in protest as Sakuya's moans became louder, her nails digging painfully into Uta's back, leaving angry red lines of pleasure and lust.

Uta pulled away from his girlfriend to study her face, still pounding into her roughly as she let out sounds of pleasure, often saying his name as if it was a song. That's when he noticed the swollen scar where she was stabbed, right in between her large and voluptuous breasts. Uta then slipped his hand underneath her, unsnapping her cutely laced bra and throwing it to an unknown part of the floor, wanting a better view of what she had been through.

He brought his lips to her scar, kissing it multiple times as if he could make it disappear with his strong feelings of affection. Sakuya felt truly loved as she felt his lips on her chest, her arms around his back once more as she felt his shaft hit a certain spot inside of her. The once innocent woman tossed her head back as she moaned out his name loudly, her whole body tensing up as she felt her sex tighten and tremble around Uta's throbbing member. It was her orgasm that spurred his own, making him groan lowly as he gripped the upper side of the bed, spilling his seed into the condom while thrusting uselessly inside of her. Once they were both satisfied, the only thing heard in the room was their heavy breathing, then the sound of them kissing softly and romantically.

Uta discarded the used condom and fell onto his back, tweaking and eyebrow upwards as he felt more than Sakuya cuddling into him.

"...Were you wearing those the whole time?"

Sakuya, who had been resting her head on his chest, propped herself up, directing her gaze to where Uta was pointing.

"Oh...well it felt like we were in such a rush...I didn't have time to unbuckle them."

Sakuya laughed cutely as Uta got up from his comfortable position and removed her wedges for her, making her feel a bit silly since she experienced her first time while wearing seventy dollar heels. Still, she wouldn't have changed it for the world, and she was tickled pink that her sexual debut was with Uta.

Once they were both cuddling in bed again, both Sakuya and Uta fell asleep, forgetting all the bad things that have happened...at least for a few hours.

/ / /

The obnoxious sounds of vibrating stirred Sakuya from her sleep as she looked around, knowing for sure that it was her phone that woke her up. She sighed as she lazily shifted her weight to the other side of the bed, careful not to wake her boyfriend as she pulled her phone out of her purse. The multiple text messages lighting up the screen made her eyes widen, the heart she shared with Ayaka almost stopped from what she had just read.

_'If you want to see your friend again, come to the abandoned apartment complex five blocks away in one hour. Come alone or else we'll kill her.'_

A heavy lump was stuck in Sakuya's throat as she quickly and stealthily got out of Uta's bed, snapping her bra back on before tugging on an oversized sweater she found in the dresser. She had an idea of who was texting her, and she honestly didn't want to go alone, but Rarako was in danger, and she wouldn't lose another friend.

The young woman quickly made her way to the apartments where Ayaka was murdered, entering the building cautiously with her phone in her tight and trembling grip.

"...Rarako? Are you here?"

Sakuya walked around a bit more until she heard a sadistic laugh echo through the dilapidated lobby, a familiar face approaching her.

"You're not too bright are you? Then again, neither am I. I should have stayed and made sure you were dead. If Yuto finds out you're still alive, I'm gonna be in big trouble~"

"...Where's Rarako?"

The scarred man laughed huskily in his throat, shrugging as if he had no idea what she was talking about.

"Rarako? Oh, she's not here. That was a bluff, it's really just you and me~ And now I'm going to kill you once again."

Before Sakuya realized what was going on, the attacker was racing towards her, a very strange and intimidating weapon was in his hands. She had seen something like that before in other ghouls, but she had no idea a human could possess such a power. The tail like weapon was slashing the air around her like a large sword, making it hard to dodge or escape, the wielder had a blood thirsty look in his dilated pupils as he tried over and over again to kill the target with the stolen kagune.

With tears in her eyes, Sakuya found a hole and started to run away, only to be tripped by the maroon colored kagune, making her fall face first onto the rough and uneven concrete.

"JUST DIE YOU PATHETIC BITCH!"

The attacker jumped into the air, wanting to slice the girl into tiny pieces and to finally end this charade of bad luck. Sakuya was sure this was the end, and in one last attempt to survive, she covered herself with her arms, more than positive that her death was imminent this time.

Her eyes stayed closed, she hadn't felt any pain, was her life finally over...?

When she finally opened her eyes, she was overwhelmed with what she saw. Leaving her body and blocking the rogue's kagune was one of her own. Ayaka had brought it out during her fight with the hit-man, making Sakuya think that it was her best friend that was protecting her. Tears filled Sakuya's brown eyes as she wobbled to her feet and started to run, the blue and purple Rinkaku protecting and shielding her from the on coming attacks from the insane Dove.

She was so close to the exit of the building, seeing the lights from the street lamps as if she would be safe out in the open, but once she had quickly opened the door someone was standing in her way, their face hidden with a mask with hardly any markings whatsoever. A hooded sweater concealed everything about them, making it unknown if they were friend or foe.

Sakuya was now between a rock and a hard place, unable to escape, unsure if she would see the morning light again...unsure if she would ever see Uta again.

This was truly a nightmare.


	8. Chapter 8

Sakuya stood there, face to face with a masked man that towered over her. She had no idea whether or not they would cause her harm, but they weren't the only thing she had to worry about.

Right behind her was the hit-man Wantanabe hired to kill her, the stolen Bikaku mere inches away from cutting her in half. The terrified female was sure this was the end of her, but surprisingly the masked person behind her quickly grabbed her and lept out of harm's way. Once Sakuya was placed gently on the ground, the masked figure ran towards the blood crazed murderer, making their movements look so fluid and easy. It was more than obvious that they were very skilled and dangerous.

"To hell with this! I'll kill both of you!"

With Bikaku firmly in his grasp, the killer swung it with no technique or grace whatsoever, his emotions running wild like he was a child throwing a temper tantrum. The masked one dodged every swing like it was nothing, sneaking past the weapon so the two were mere centimeters apart. The killer's eyes widened with shock as he felt his neck being choked, almost no oxygen was making its way to his brain as the brawny man was being lifted into the air like he weighed no more than a feather.

"...Who...Who are you?"

The man was barely able to cough the question out as the grip around his throat got even tighter, making it obvious that the masked figure felt like they were being personally attacked too. Not one word was muttered as the entire lobby was filled with nothing but painful noises of strangulation, giving Sakuya no choice but to cover her ears and close her eyes as time seemed to stop.

As if it were nothing, the masked ghoul took their free hand and pierced it through the hit-man's chest, actually pulling his heart out in the process. The arteries were still connected as the heart pulsed quickly in their hand, a look of pure horror was in the eyes of the man who murdered Ayaka.

"...An eye for an eye...and a heart for a heart."

No more words were exchanged as the killer was tossed roughly across the room, their lifeless body crushed between chunks of cement that was once the flooring of the apartment lobby. The ghoul who completely destroyed the murderer carefully took off the mask they had on, the once throbbing heart was still and bleeding in their palm. Once the mask was off, the ghoul brought the life organ to their lips, smirking as they took a bite of it.

Vengeance was so delicious.

After taking one bite, the mysterious ghoul tossed it aside like it was trash, not even worth finishing. Sakuya, who had finally opened her eyes, carefully walked over to the person, still unsure if she was safe. They had killed the hit-man...but was it truly over?

"...Thank you...for saving me..."

Sakuya was a bit nervous approaching them, but she needed to show appreciation for what they did. If it wasn't for them and Ayaka's Kagune, she would surely be dead by now.

The once masked ghoul quickly wiped the blood from their mouth and turned around, a look of pure irritation written all over their face. Sakuya's eyes widened as she saw who it was, once again scared of what would happen to her.

"Are you an idiot? Who sleeps with a guy and then leaves to get killed? You're giving me anxiety Saya, you really have to think before you do things."

Uta sighed as he tugged the hooded sweater off, revealing his usual tank top and tattoos. He was so mad at her! For not only leaving him after they had sex, but for getting in this kind of trouble as well! Still, it was interesting to see her with a Kagune...even if it wasn't hers originally. Ayaka must really love her best friend.

"Itori's on her way...go out there and meet her, I have to get rid of the body."

Yet another sigh left the handsome ghoul's lips as he turned his back on his girlfriend, about to walk over to the dead hit-man until he felt Sakuya's arms around him. She was so stupid and careless and needy and way too brave...he needed to keep an eye on her more often.

"I'm so sorry Uta! I just thought Rarako was in trouble! I was so scared I would never see you again!"

Her grip tightened around him so he couldn't turn to face her, too embarrassed to show him her tears. She really was too reckless, and she would have to train a lot in order to keep her new ghoul abilities secret and hidden from the public. At least it was finally over though, or so they thought.

"It's fine Sakuya...go ahead and go back to the shop with Itori. I don't want you to watch me dispose of the body."

Uta turned and gave his trembling girlfriend a quick kiss on the cheek before gently shoving her in the direction of the doorway, thinking that he would eventually have to deal with Wantanabe on his own too. Hopefully he would get the picture and just move out of the country; if he was smart, that's what he would do.

As for Sakuya, she nodded and walked out of the nearly destroyed building with a heavy feeling cloaking her heart, blaming herself for everything that had happened. Like Uta said, Itori was rushing towards her, a worried look plastered on her beautiful face.

"Yaya-San! Are you okay!?"

The woman with rose gold hair stopped in front of her half human/half ghoul friend, panting softly as she grabbed her hand.

"U-Chan called me, he said you were in danger and needed me to take you to a safe place. I'm glad nothing bad happened to you~"

The once startled female smiled calmly and lovingly at her new friend, so tickled that so many people cared about her. She knew that she would be safe as long as Uta and Itori were there for her.

"Thanks Itori-Chan~ I'm...so tired though...we should head back."

They both sighed and walked back to Uta's place together, only to walk in on scattered clothes on the store's floor, making it obvious that something happened before Sakuya was attacked. Itori raised a slender eyebrow and quickly shot her head back, a suspicious glow filled her eyes as she studied her tense friend.

On the floor lay Uta's cardigan and top, along with an unzipped dress right by the door leading to Uta's actual place...what were they doing before she got there? The bartender continued to study her surroundings, her gaze landing upon a nervous looking Sakuya as she crept closer to her.

She was wearing an oversized black sweatshirt with wedges, pink and red hickeys were clearly visible as the designer refused to give eye contact. Not liked it mattered...Itori was smart enough to figure out what was going on mere hours earlier.

"...You slept with him didn't you?"

The gorgeous woman sighed as she folded her arms in, her hip poked out slightly as if her body language begged for an explanation. She just knew Uta wouldn't be able to control himself, especially when it came to such a cute and innocent girl like Sakuya!

Seriously though, with everything happening, Itori thought it was just too risky for Sakuya to have a relationship. What made matters worse was that Uta was involved as well. He had his own plans prior to this and romance shouldn't have been included.

"Yaya-San! Do you think that was very smart? You were just attacked by a hit man your stalker hired! Don't you think being with U-Chan will make things more difficult?"

Itori was trying to get her friend to think logically, that is until a certain someone came back with an annoyed attitude like before.

"Mind your own business Itori. Sakuya and I are dating now, so what we do in our privacy is none of you concern."

The tattooed ghoul sighed as he sat down next to the two women, a box saturated in dark blood was being held underneath his arm. Sakuya noticed and she wanted to ask what it was, but something in the back of her head told her to just let Uta execute his own plan without causing a disturbance.

Still, she at least wanted to know if he was going to keep that box for some reason.

"Um...Uta...what's with the box?"

Uta perked up with a dull look making its way on his features, his bottom lip pursed out slightly as if he was thinking about whether or not he should tell her. It would be rude to keep her out of the loop though since this was her battle too.

"...I'm gonna give this to someone we know. I'm sure they'd want to know what happened to their friend."

With the rogue dove now done for, Uta planned on letting the mastermind of all of this realize what became of his plan. Humans were insane creatures, and for the most part he kept out of it...but Yuto was going too far. If this didn't stop him from pursuing Sakuya then something more drastic had to be done.

The two and a half ghouls all sighed in unison as one of them looked at the clock ticking lazily on the wall. It was already so late...just a few minutes ago Sakuya was running for her life...time was in a cruel mixture of slow and fast.

"It's getting late. Sakuya should stay with me tonight just in case something else were to happen, is that okay with you?"

The tattooed ghoul tilted his head to the side as he turned his gaze towards his girlfriend, wondering if she had fully recovered from her unexpected meeting with the hit-man. Sakuya couldn't help but perk up when Uta asked her to stay, earning a slight blush and a gentle nod from the exhausted girl.

"Yeah I think that would be best. I just hope Yuto doesn't know anything about his friend's death. When he tricked me, he told me that Yuto still thinks I'm dead...I wonder if I should even go back to work."

Sakuya sighed softly, the little hope she had left leaving her trembling body as silence once again filled the room. It was a tough call to make, but in all honesty Sakuya wanted to go back and work hard for her future! She wanted to let Wantanabe know that he didn't win, and that she survived all of his attacks with the help of both Uta and Ayaka. He may have killed her best friend, but he wasn't going to get her.

Uta could see a bit of determination sparkle in Sakuya's eyes as her gaze lazily drifted the room. Yuto didn't win, and he wasn't going to any time soon.

"Go to work. Surprise him. Besides I need to give this to him...It's just a little warning of what I can do."

Uta and Itori nodded as Sakuya perked up, a sweet smile appeared on her tear stained face as if she had a new burst of energy inside her heart and soul.

/ / /

The next morning came quicker than Sakuya had liked, and the late designer tried her best to jog quickly into the office building wearing a tight pencil skirt and tall heels. She had stayed with Uta the night before and unbeknownst to her, he was pretty pissed off at her running away and leaving him all alone after they had spent such passionate time together. A shy smile crept its way onto her gorgeous features as she pressed the elevator button to go to one of the top floors, never assuming that Uta would be sensitive to things like that.

She thought he wouldn't mind her leaving right after they made love, and that he was normally a calm person, but for the majority of the night he pouted and whined about how used he felt and how next time he better wake up with her by his side. He was so sweet but at the same time so confusing. She couldn't put a nail on his personality.

A dull chime rang out as the elevator came to a jerky stop, the doors gliding open as Sakuya stepped out ready for work. Of course nothing ever went as planned. Her desk was covered in nothing but candles, flowers, and portraits of her; several of her co-workers were crying as they laid cards down as if her office desk had become a grave sight over night.

The shocked and nervous designer walked up to a girl laying roses right where her laptop used to be, recognizing her from the time they had lunch together last week. Did they really think she had passed away?

"Um, Ono-San? What's going on?"

Sakuya was so confused and slightly scared, a knot the size of a softball somehow found its way to her stomach, almost forcing the young woman to make a mad dash to the ladies room just in case she threw up!

The startled co-worker turned and stared deeply at the girl in front of her, tears pouring dramatically down her rose tinted cheeks as she wrapped her arms around Sakuya's tiny frame, making it look like Sakuya was a mouse and her co-worker was a python.

"Yuno-Chan! You're alive! Last weekend we got an email from Wantanabe-Kun saying that you were attacked in your apartment and died in the hospital! I'm so glad you're okay!"

The cute woman started to bawl and whine on Sakuya's shoulder, gaining the attention of everyone around her. They all crowded the girl who was supposed to be dead, each and everyone of them wanting to hug her close and never let go. Of course Sakuya wanted to be happy with them, but the fact of the matter was that Yuto had told everyone she was dead...he really was the one behind all of this.

Before things could get too chaotic, Sakuya whistled loudly to end the barrage of tears and hugs, needing to explain herself once and for all.

"Everyone! I appreciate this, I truly do. It makes me happy to know how much I would be missed if I truly were to pass away...but let me make one thing clear...Wantanabe and I are not together. We never were, and we never will be! Please don't get any information about me from him...I would never say anything hurtful to anyone, but this man is very troubled and seems to be lying to all of you. If you could just ignore him when it came to personal matters, you'd be doing me a huge favor~"

After her short speech, everyone nodded in agreement, their eyes being opened to how disturbed Yuto really was. It wasn't long after Sakuya had settled down at a temporary desk that her boss walked up to her, her silver hair in an elegant butterfly clip as her narrow eyes softened at her newest employee.

"Yuno-San, it's good to have you back~ I'm sorry about all of this, and even though it's not directly my branch, I've talked to both Yuto and the head of the billing department and he's no longer working for this company. I'm sorry he caused all of this trouble for you, but rest assured that you will never see him in this building again. Work hard and make me proud Sakuya~ You always do~"

The older woman winked and walked off, a small smile and blush planted on Sakuya's face as she felt her heart thump from happiness. It felt over...she felt like nothing could go wrong again, and that she could finally have a normal life with Uta and everyone else.

/ / /

Yuto bit back his tears of frustration as he walked out of the giant building with nothing but a box full of objects that didn't even matter anymore. Sakuya had survived the attack from the Dove he had known for decades, resulting in him losing everything. His job, his love, and his friends. He needed a plan of revenge.

"Oi, weirdo."

The average man was called out of his thoughts by someone he wanted dead as well. A look of disgust grew on his bitter features as he broadened his shoulders, refusing to look defeated in front of such a piece of trash.

"What do you want? You and your bitch can't take anything else away from me."

Uta was glaring roughly at Yuto through his thick back sunglasses, the box he had the night before was now clean and wrapped in bland paper, a red bow on top as if it was a peaceful gift exchange.

"Don't say that. I'm sure I could take so much more from you. Anyways, have this, just to show you how serious I am about you attacking my girlfriend. If you were smart, you wouldn't fuck with me anymore. Later."

With that, Uta dropped the smaller box inside of the one Yuto was already holding, tossing up a peace sign as he disappeared in the crowd. Yuto didn't have time to open it at that moment, so once he walked home and locked the doors, he proceeded to unwrap it with caution.

Yuto's pupils sunk back in his eyes as he vomited on the hard wood flooring of his living room, the box clattered to the ground as a round object lazily rolled out.

On the floor was the decapitated head of the hit-man, his eyes gauged out and shoved in his mouth. Yuto had wondered why he hadn't heard from his colleague in the crime, but now he realized just how far he had to go to have Sakuya. He quickly gathered his wits together again, his phone trembling in his hands as he dialed in a number only he knew. The phone rang once and was immediately answered.

"Yuto. We were expecting your call. Is there something you need from us?"

"...I still haven't got what I wanted...Capture Sakuya Yuno and torture her until she loves me...then I might forgive her."

The other line went quiet for a few seconds, then the rough voice came back.

"Anybody else sir?"

"...The others will try and save her. Kill them...but do so in front of her."

A wicked grin shone on Yuto's evil features, determined to get things his way. Sakuya Yuno thought she was safe...but just as things were ending peacefully for her, a new and terrifying beginning was crawling closer as well.


	9. Chapter 9

A week had passed since Yuto's termination, and for the first time in a long time Sakuya was happy. No one was stalking her, no one was harassing her or her friends, and now she could finally focus on putting her life together.

She was finally happy.

It was a peaceful night at Uta's place, the air was still as both of them lay in bed after a passionate love making session. Sakuya's eyes held much admiration as she rested her head on Uta's muscular and tattooed chest, watching the light on his E-Cig glow softly as a thick cloud of scented smoke left his perfect lips.

Uta's arm was lazily wrapped around Sakuya's bare shoulders as he continued to rub them affectionately, his thoughts stopped abruptly as his cute girlfriend started to talk after long moments of comfortable silence.

"Uta…I'm so confused…"

The tattooed Ghoul tweaked an eyebrow upwards, his dermal piercing moving along with him as he turned his handsome face to look at her.

"About what? I already told you it's normal for girls to orgasm twice in a row. Don't worry about it, just enjoy it Saya-Chan"

The younger half-Ghoul almost choked on air as her face turned a new shade of pink, him bringing up their sexual encounter was more than embarrassing, and it made her not want to talk to him. Still, she needed answers before she got too comfortable with the beautiful peace she was living in.

"S-stop! That's not what I meant at all Uta-San! I had a question about Ghouls…and how I even became one…"

The lovely woman rested her head on her boyfriend's chest once more, softly tracing the lines of his tattoos as he listened carefully to what was plaguing her gorgeous mind.

"How did Aya's heart turn me into a Ghoul? It's so hard to comprehend…Is all it takes is a transplant to change someone's life like that?"

Uta sighed out the thick vapor as he leaned his back against the headboard of the bed, wanting to really explain the anatomy of a Ghoul, and who their enemies were.

"You didn't just get her heart, you also had her Kakuhou inserted into your body too. That's basically where us Ghouls generate our Kagune…which is what that shining appendage is that came out of your back that time you ran into Yuto's hit-man. We typically have a higher RC cell count as well, and that's what powers our Kagune. We get more RC cells by devouring humans. Does that make sense Saya?"

Uta tilted his head to the side as he looked into his girlfriend's dumbstruck eyes, assuming that he was going to have to explain more to her. It was okay though, she needed this information if she was going to continue living as a Ghoul. It was the least he could do as a person who cared deeply about her.

"RC cells are just like blood, but they form our Kagune, so they're more like liquid muscles. Only Ghouls have them though, and they go straight to our Kakuhou. Every Ghoul has their own Kagune. You have Ayaka-San's, which is the Rinkaku. They're pretty strong but at the same time kinda fragile too."

The only thing Sakuya could do was listen intently as Uta went on, trying his best to educate her about who she had become. It was all making sense now though, and it made her feel better even though there was no going back to her normal human life.

"The hit-man that tried to hurt you had a briefcase right? Most Doves have those. Doves are CCG investigators, and their job is to kill Ghouls. It's best to just stay under the radar so they don't find you. The briefcases they carry have Kagune they've stolen from the Ghouls they've killed. They call them Quinque's. It could be anything from a sword like weapon to hammers to whatever else they can make out of them. They're not nice people so just stay away from them."

Uta deeply inhaled through his E-Cig, hoping his explanation enlightened her a bit, but it still seemed like he was pondering something as she propped her head on his shoulder.

"A Rinkaku huh? That's pretty neat…what's your Kagune Uta-San~?"

A chuckle was heard in the mostly silent room as smoke spilled messily out of his mouth and nose, a thick cloud gathered in the room and disappeared moments later.

"What's the fun in letting you know everything about me? I've gotta stay a little bit mysterious, right?"

With that Uta placed his smoking tool on the nightstand, silencing his girlfriend by pressing his lips to her soft and supple ones, earning a soft and intoxicating sigh from her as she wrapped her slender arms around his neck. For the rest of the night the young couple kissed sweetly, enjoying their little bubble of peace and happiness.

Yuto paced back and forth impatiently as a knock on the door was heard at the front of his studio apartment. The vengence crazed man quickly yanked the door open as he started to scold the three figure standing in front of him.

"You all took forever to get here! It's like you want my father to fire you! We can't afford any more fuck ups, so I expect the most out of all of you!"

Foam was beginning to form at the corners of his mouth as the three rogue CCG members welcomed themselves into his spacious and luxurious home. Two males and one female sat on the plush leather couch, their Quinques practically glued to their sides. The two men looked almost identical besides their hair color, other than that, they were both slender and sickly looking, like they had no happiness and no ambition whatsoever. The woman was curvy and professional looking, her long pale hair hung to her lower back as the bangs were pinned to everyone could see her striking hazel eyes.

The trio looked ordinary at first glance, but their intentions were nothing less than vile, having no choice but to listen to everything Yuto asked of them due to how powerful his family was. As for the bitter male, he towered over them, giving them a very elaborate scheme they had to follow to the very last detail for it to truly have effect.

"It's a simple task…if you fail, consider your lives ruined. Understood?"

The group of three nodded slowly as they made their leave to start the mission they were given, the hell bent look burned within Yuto's evil gaze.

Sakuya pursed her plump lips as she studied the masks lining the walls of Uta's shop, her soft and wispy bangs constantly being pushed away from her chocolate gaze as she walked up and down the corridors as her boyfriend was working with a client. They were supposed to go to the movies but it seemed like his last client of the day was being more than difficult, constantly changing their mind about one thing or another. Either way it was obvious Uta was getting irritated at his fickle guest.

"I like the color scheme, but…I dunno is purple really my color? Would it go well with my hair color? And what about my eye color? Shouldn't you think about that too?"

"…I've been doing this for a few years now…and I know which colors complement each other, so you either trust me or see someone else. The store has been closed for thirty minutes now, and I have things I need to do. You take the sketch and come back tomorrow okay Rina-San?"

With that, Uta (forcefully) removed the blonde woman with gorgeous green eyes from the shop, almost physically exhausted from the consultation alone! It was irritating when his clients denied his artistic skills, but it happened all the time, and right now all he was worried about was his girlfriend and whether or not the missed the movie.

Once the shop was completely locked up, Uta escorted his beautiful girlfriend out the door, happy to be able to spend some quality time with her. What the Ghoul didn't notice was his girlfriend's phone blowing up with picture messages from yet another unknown number, revealing the fact that they were once again being stalked.

The couple continued their romantic evening though, unaware of the trio that was silently and skillfully following them throughout the night. After the movies and a few drinks with Itori and Renji, Uta walked his date home. Sakuya was currently living with Rarako for the time being, but she had high hopes of one day moving in with the love of her life~

"Thanks for taking me home~ I would invite you in but…I'm pretty sure Rarako would be mad if we woke her up~"

The sweet designer blushed lightly as Uta placed a soft and loving kiss on her delicious lips, the tingle from her mint chap-stick lingered on the dewy skin of their lips as Sakuya pulled away. A tender look of love and lust flooded her deep eyes as she said goodbye, wishing that he could stay the night.

With that, the exhausted woman closed the door and sighed, taking her phone out of her designer purse only too be shocked with how many texts she had accumulated during the night.

One after one, the pictures showed nothing but her and Uta from different angles, even the one from when he kissed her goodbye. She thought this was over, she thought they had won, and that she wouldn't have to worry anymore…what was going on?

Then her phone vibrated in her sweating grip, her heart practically jumping into her throat as her eyes dilated with fear. Clear as day, right on her touch screen was a picture of Rarako, her mouth tied shut along with her arms and legs. Underneath the photo was a phone number and nothing more.

Without a moment's delay, Sakuya pressed the number quickly, her whole body shook with countless emotions as the dial tone finally ended and the sound of a familiar voice echoed in her head.

"Ah~ Yuno-Chan~ I was worried you didn't get any of my messages-"

"Where is she you bastard!? Why did you take Rarako!?"

The anxious female screamed into her phone, her knees shaking and her thighs tense, it almost felt like she wouldn't be able to stand for much longer. Still, the conversation went on.

"Calm down Yuno-Chan, your friend is with me, alive and safe…but I'm not sure how long that will last~ There is something you can do though. Once you do it I'll let you know where both I and your friend are located, how does that sound?"

"Fine! I don't care! Just tell me what to do so I can get Rarako out of there!"

A sadistic chuckle was heard through the static of the phone as he made his request, the young female froze as she listened to his words. Why was he doing this…? Why was he making her do this?

"If you don't do this within eight-teen hours…I'll kill her…and then I'll kill you. Oh, and don't think I'm not watching Yuno-San~ So don't try to trick me or else~"

All that was heard was a sharp click and a dull and drone dial tone, the visibly shaken Sakuya fell to her knees as she tried to gasp in the air she so desperately needed. He was making her do something so cruel just for his own sick enjoyment. She had to do this though, she had no choice. Tears began to stream down her blushed cheeks as weak and pitiful sobs filled the empty apartment , her small and delicate hands covered her face as the once carefree girl wept like a newborn child.

Her heart was breaking, and it felt like she was going to die. Everyone she loves was just going to end up getting hurt, she just had to decided which ones got the most pain.

"…Uta…I'm so sorry…"


	10. Chapter 10

There was no shine in her eyes as Sakuya sat in Uta's shop, unsure of what to say or how to make this easy for the both of them…what was she thinking? This wasn't going to be easy…nothing was easy about heart break…

The tattooed ghoul continued to work carefully on a mask as two other friends killed their boredom by hanging out with the couple. On one side of Uta was Itori-Chan, smiling away as she braided his hair, finding it humorous how he didn't mind. On the other side was a younger girl by the name of Roma, trying her best to make a mask of her own. Normally Sakuya liked the both of them, especially Itori since she's been nothing but helpful! She needed a scapegoat though…it seemed like the two females were the only way out.

Sakuya sighed softly as she stared at her dully lit phone, the instructions were crystal clear as she psyched herself up for what would be the worst pain she's had in a long time.

_Go outside, make it believable, call when it's been done._

_-Yuto_

It was now or never…

"Um…Uta-San, can we talk outside for a minute?"

The older ghoul lifted his head up, his black latex gloves covered in a paint like substance as Itori finished up the braid. The three of them didn't seemed phased as Sakuya requested her boyfriend's presence outside of the shop, continuing what they were doing without a care in the world.

"Perfect timing Saya-San! Do you like U-Chan's braid~? It's a Fishtail, my specialty~"

Itori smirked with much confidence as Roma walked over with a mask of her own making, a cute smile on her delicate face.

"Look what I made! Cute right~!?"

Roma giggled sweetly as Uta looked at it carefully, almost ignoring his girlfriend's request to talk to him privately.

"Roma-Chan…what materials did you use to make this?"

"Ah! You like it don't you~? I used leather, some glitter, some buckles, and that paint for the designs~"

Uta pursed his lips out as he thought to himself, calculating something very specific.

"…5,000 Yen…that's how much you owe me for using my stuff…and that's me being nice."

Roma almost cried out in shock as Itori began to laugh loudly, finding the whole situation hilarious. Sakuya didn't budge though…she was stuck in her own head as she thought about how she was going to do this.

"Uta…please…"

The tattooed Ghoul raised his eyebrows at his girlfriend's impatience, grabbing his E-Cig as he led her toward the back of the shop. Once the duo was in private and in the open, Uta decided to speak up, flavored smoke leaving his mouth as he talked to her gently.

"You seem tense Saya, did you get enough sleep last night?"

The anxious woman took in a deep breath, trying hard not to cry as she made herself upset at her boyfriend who did nothing wrong.

"…You're close to Itori and Roma…I know what you've been doing behind my back Uta…"

The air was thick with tension as Uta cocked his head to the side, his braid moving along with him as he put his electric cigarette away.

"Well, they are my friends, but we haven't made any plans without you Saya-Chan. You shouldn't worry about that."

"How long Uta!? How long have you been cheating on me!?"

The ridiculous assumption shocked Uta as his whole body became tense with confusion. What was she talking about? He's been faithful throughout everything! Was this really how she felt?

"Saya I haven't been with anyone but you, I think you're just confu-"

"Stop covering for them Uta! You've slept with both of them haven't you!? Why are you close to them but not me? What makes them so special!?"

Tears were flowing down Sakuya's face as a shaky reflection of Uta shone in her dark eyes. She hated this. She knew Uta was being truthful, and she wasn't mad at him for having female friends…she was mad at herself…and she prayed that he would forgive her one day.

"I'm done Uta…I know you love Itori and Roma…If I can't have all of you, I don't want you at all…"

Uta's brows furrowed as he studied Sakuya, his gut was telling him that something wasn't right with her, he just didn't know what she was planning behind all of this.

"…Are you breaking up with me Sakuya?"

A lump the size of a golf ball was stuck in her throat as Sakuya desperately tried to cough the answer out. She didn't have much time, it was either this, or Rarako. The tears poured out harder as the timid designer nodded her head, loving Uta so much that she didn't want to say it…the pain of heart break was horrifying to her.

"Y-yes! I have to! I'm s-so sorry Uta!"

With that, Sakuya rushed past him, leaving the shop so quickly both Itori and Roma didn't have time to ask her why she was crying. After the door was slammed, Uta walked back in, the two shorter females blocking his way as they spat hateful questions in his direction.

"U-Chan! What the hell did you do!? Why is Saya-San crying!?"

"…She broke up with me."

Both Itori and Roma paused, a dumbfounded look on their faces. All they could think was how could anyone end a relationship with Uta? That couldn't be possible! Uta seemed fine though as he looked at the door, planning his next action carefully.

/

The skies were a thick gray color as the storm clouds moved in a hurried pace, as Sakuya was doing as well. After breaking up with Uta, she received a text from Yuto, telling her the address her best friend was being held captive in. She could apologize to Uta some more later, right now the only thing on her mind was Rarako, and how hard she should punch Yuto when she saw him.

The building before her was a large off-white factory, seemingly abandoned for years. It once produced mass orders of metal, ranging from simple link chains to steel beams for foundations…it made her curious as to why Yuto chose this place to meet up with her. None the less, the usually anxiety ridden woman got a sudden burst of bravery as she ran into the unlocked butterfly doors.

The floors were a solid tile design, the clacking of her shoes upon them as she ran echoed throughout the halls as she made her way to the last door on the left. There she was, beaten and bruised as a simple handkerchief kept her mouth shut, her hands were tied behind her with a rugged rope as were her ankles. Rarako was alive, but not well. The anger inside of Sakuya bubbled out as she raised her voice to the man who just wouldn't stop, not caring that he had three bodyguards accompanying him.

"You asshole! You've put me through hell for what!? Why are you doing this!?"

Her fists were shaking violently by her side as Yuto smirked, yanking Rarako roughly to her feet as he dragged her along, making it seem like he wasn't hold another human being, but rather a bag of trash.

"Why can't you just be flattered Yuno-San? I'm so madly in love with you, I want to be the only person in your life~ Sato-San, Uta-San, and even this lovely woman took up too much time with you…but I realize that you don't like me, so I'll let you go~"

Sakuya thought that Yuto was going to toss her friend into her arms, but he simply walked right past her, leaving her locked in a large and empty room with the three guards. Was this just an evil trick the whole time?

"I'll tell you what, Yuno-San, if you can beat these three CCG members, you can have your friend~ I'll leave her right by the exit okay? Now if you'll excuse me, I have to report to my father's new company, have a great day Sakuya~"

A look of pure terror flooded Sakuya's gaze as she stared at the three figures mere meters in front of her. The two men were obvious twins, both with shaggy brown hair with bangs that covered the majority of their foreheads, they almost looked as ordinary as Yuto. The woman seemed more distinctive though. Her long platinum hair hung low down her back, her hazel eyes trembled with excitement as if she hadn't hunted in years.

"Mr. Wantanebe meant _ex_ CCG members. Sadly all three of us lost our jobs due to our violent nature towards Ghouls…and even though you are a human, we can always just pretend~"

The female nodded her head towards the man on her right, indicating that it was his turn to have a bit of fun. He walked towards her and let his briefcase open, revealing a sword like Quinque that glowed a dark red color…it was a color resembling that of blood.

"You may be confused as to this location, and why we're listening to that punk Wantanebe-San…since you're going to die, I'll tell you a little bit."

The man stopped right in front of her, tilting his head upwards as he ignored the stubborn look on Sakuya's face.

"We all lost our jobs, and we kind of have a debt with his dad, who apparently owns a lot of businesses. This building was his, but he abandoned it when he got the money he wanted from competitors…the whole Wantanebe family is annoyingly rich…anyways, enough talk. Time to kill you."

The ex investigator began lifting his Quinque up into the air like it weighed nothing, a solemn and bored look in his eyes as he was mere seconds away from bringing it down upon her.

A loud crash sound was heard as the side wall was broken, the ex Dove was no where to be seen as Sakuya ducked, holding her head as she peeked through her arms to see where the attacker was.

Blood trickled down to the ground as the other two doves watched in shock/horror. The lower limbs of the rogue tore off and landed with a thud, the upper half of the attacker hung lifelessly in the hands of a hooded figure. They tossed the other half to the side before removing the cloak, revealing who they were as if things were repeating themselves.

"…Does anyone else want to attack my girlfriend?"

In front of the cowering Sakuya was Uta, the braid still in his hair as he licked the blood from his hand, not even remotely amused by all of this. Yuto just didn't know when to give up. The tattooed Ghoul perked up after a few seconds though, turning to look into Sakuya's tear filled eyes.

"Oh, sorry, I mean ex-girlfriend."


	11. Chapter 11

Killing one of the ex Doves was surprisingly easy, and Uta had a feeling that it wouldn't take him much longer to dispose of the remaining ones as well. The main goal was to finally stop Yuto and his foolish games, and if it took killing a few more people then Uta would do it. He actually cared for Sakuya and didn't want anything else to happen to her. This needed to end now.

The tattooed Ghoul took a step closer as the male rogue trembled, not wanting to end up like his twin. The female Dove wasn't amused though as she roughly grabbed her colleague by the collar of his dress shirt, violently throwing him forward as if he was the one that needed to fight.

"Stop being such a crybaby and attack him already! Hurry before the girl escapes!"

The average man nodded his head, a look of anxiety and fear was still deep in his eyes as he opened a briefcase to reveal his own Quinque. A dark blue axe made of a Ghoul's Bikaku was now being swung around with no skill whatsoever, making Uta think that this guy was nothing but a CCG poser. There was no way he's ever killed a SSS ranked Ghoul before.

"Saya-Chan, go save Rarako. I'll be done in a minute."

Uta said nothing more as he swiftly kicked the rogue in the face; his body flying into the opposite side wall as if it was nothing more than a pillow being thrown. Sakuya nodded quickly, determination heavy in her eyes as she carefully got up and started running toward the wall Uta destroyed coming in. She was just about to hop over the rubble until the female rogue beat her to it, shoving her back and asserting her dominance by looming over her in a snarky way.

"Oh~ Leaving already? I don't think s-"

The woman was cut off by Uta, who picked her up by the back of her shirt and threw her over his own body, giving Sakuya that narrow window she could escape from.

"Uta! I'll be back! Please stay safe!"

Sakuya didn't wait for a response as she dashed out the room and bolted toward the exit, Rarako in her line of sight as a burst of adrenaline surged through her slender body. Without even thinking about it, Sakuya picked up her friend with relative ease and carried her in her arms, running vigorously in the direction of the mask shop.

Rarako was complete unconscious as her younger friend slammed open the door to HySy, Itori and Roma perked up immediately when they saw the two other girls and no sign of Uta.

"Saya-San!? What's going on!? I think we both deserve an explanation!"

Itori had her hands on her curved hips, giving dirty stares at her friend as Sakuya laid Rarako down on a couch. She didn't have time to explain everything, Uta was by himself fighting two heavily equipt rogue Doves, she needed to be with him as soon as possible.

"Itori-San, please look after Rarako for me! I'll tell you everything later but Uta needs help right now!"

"W-what! Shouldn't I go with you!?"

"No time! Just please take care of her!"

Sakuya shouted behind her shoulder at Itori, praying that Uta really could hold his own. She had never seen him in a fight before, so all she could assume was that he needed help since it was two against one.

/

The rain was pouring down violently as loud clashes of thunder followed after bolts of illuminating lightning. The storm outside wasn't nearly as strong as the storm raging inside of Sakuya's body though, a feeling of worry and terror was all she could process as she ran into the abandoned building for the second time in one day.

Her eyes sank back as she saw Uta crashing into the hard tile flooring, blood was all over him and the two ex investigators. It seemed like they were evenly matched, but Uta was running out of stamina, and Sakuya didn't know how much more he could take. It seemed like he was already at his limit even though she was only gone for ten minutes.

The tattooed Ghoul rose to his feet as the rogues charged at him again, an axe and whip Quinque were all Sakuya could see as her boyfriend quickly picked her up and dodged both attacks. Once they were both on the ground again, Uta scolded his girlfriend, wondering why she was back and alone.

"Sakuya. Where's Itori and Roma? Weren't they still at the shop?"

"Yeah but I asked them to watch Rarako! I wanted to be the one to-"

The conversation was cut short as Sakuya witnessed the Bikaku Quinque slice down on Uta's shoulder, blood splattered out of his body and landed all over the couple. Sakuya froze as she felt the warm liquid hit her face, her breathing hitched as her boyfriend's arm hit the floor. Silence was thick in the room for a few seconds, the scene that just happened played over and over again in Sakuya's brain until she finally snapped and let out a horrified scream.

This happened because of her, because she wasn't ready to help, she wasn't ready to fight along side Uta...this was all her fault.

She reached to hold her bleeding boyfriend but lagged by mere seconds as a whip like Quinque was wrapped around Uta's ankle, yanking him to the floor and pulling him toward the fierce female Dove. She was now in a dominant position, towering over Uta as she placed her high heel shoe on one of his knees.

"I have to admit, you had me there for a second! I've already told you this though...I'm considered too violent to be on the force~"

Without saying another word, the female rogue lifted her leg and brought it down on Uta's knee cap with much force, smashing it in one swift movement. Uta didn't yell in pain or make a single sound. He couldn't as he felt the wind leave his lungs in that split second. He had never lost a fight before...why was he losing now? Was it because in the past he was only fighting for himself? Was his concern for Sakuya hindering him? If it was, he didn't care...he just wanted her to be safe.

"Oh~ I hope you didn't need that leg~ Because I'm about to break it some more!"

A wildly vicious look was plastered on the ex Doves face as she swiftly turned and forced his leg upward, breaking the bones and ripping the muscles and tissues in the most grotesque way, it was traumatizing for Sakuya to watch this happen without being able to do a single thing about it. The breaking of his leg and the loss of his arm was too much for Uta to handle, his eyesight was becoming hazy as he eventually slipped into a light coma.

The two rogues chuckled as they surrounded Uta, the man with the axe Quinque made it obvious that he was the one who wanted to kill the notorious No-Face as he brought his weapon up, mere seconds away from bringing it down on his tattooed neck.

In those few seconds though, something was happening to Sakuya. Her eyes were blank as she tasted her tears, her heart was beating faster and faster as the smell of blood became over powering to her senses. Anger, confusion, hatred, angst swarmed uncontrollably in her body as the young woman got up slowly, catching the attention of the two enemies before they could finish off the love of her life.

The two took her bravery as a joke though as they laughed demeaningly, taking a break from the barely alive Uta to examine their last target of the day.

"Looks like Miss Fuck-up wants to say something! What? You want us to take you instead of your shitty boyfriend? Don't worry! You'll both see each other in hell!"

The man laughed wickedly, the evil sound echoing off the broken walls as Sakuya took one step closer. He may have not noticed, but the female Dove definitely felt like something was off about her. That's when it happened. The male stopped laughing all of a sudden, the warm feeling of blood saturated his stomach area as he looked down to see a glowing purple Rinkaku stabbing him deeply.

He had no idea where it came from, and shakily lifted his head only to see it leading to the girl he presumed was useless. Three more Rinkaku tentacles moved gracefully in the air as the forth one was quickly and roughly yanked out of his body, his intestines spilling out as did pints of dark blood. The last thing the man saw before he fell to his knees was one beautiful brown eye, and the eye of a ghoul.

"...You're the one going to hell..."

Sakuya lazily tossed her head back as the other female in the room shook with unadulterated fear, tears leaking out of the corners of her bright eyes as she watched the once human girl walk to her partner and bite into him. The sound of raw human flesh being eaten was enough to make the rogue want to vomit, but she held it inside until Sakuya shot a hungry stare at her.

"Can't you see I'm eating? It's rude to stare."

It was at that point the female Dove was thrown outside the building by the Rinkaku, the only thing saving her was her quickness as she stumbled to her feet and dashed into the storm, her heart pounding madly as she surprisingly escaped Sakuya's first hunt.

The half Ghoul stopped eating as she stared at Uta, his breathing was limited and he was still bleeding out. She had no idea what to do, but something had to be done and soon. Without thinking twice, Sakuya tore a piece of flesh off of the dead ex Dove, carefully putting it in Uta's mouth and making sure it went down easy. Within a few moments, he opened his eyes, wincing slightly as he looked around.

"Saya...why can't I feel my left arm?...Or my right leg?"

The tattooed Ghoul creaked his neck to the left, groaning loudly as he noticed what all was going on. He was sure he would heal, and that if he continued to eat he would be better soon, but he still had no idea what even happened, or how he was still alive. That's when he studied Sakuya a bit more, her eye was that of a Ghouls and what was once Ayaka's Rinkaku was protruding out of her back. This was the second time he's seen it, but this was the first time she actually used it to fight. The last thing he noticed was the blood around her mouth and the tears still lingering in her eyes, figuring that she finally took her first bite of human. This whole thing must have been so hard for her.

Without saying a word, Uta lifted his remaining arm up and cupped Sakuya's face gently with his hand, using his thumb to wipe away the tears.

"You're so brave...I'm proud of you Saya-San."

He wanted so badly to kiss her, and to tell her how amazing she was and how she saved him from death, but the moment was interrupted by yelling and the sound of heels clacking away on what was the remains of a factory floor.

"U-Chan! Saya-San! We have to go! You both need medical attention right now!"

Itori quickly ran to the both of them and helped Sakuya up, her Rinkaku safely back into her body as Yomo walked in as well. The stoic man wasn't gentle at all as he tugged his friend up by the only arm he had, tossing it over his shoulder as Uta continued to wince.

"Renji you could be a bit more gentle with me, I am your best friend after all."

Uta pursed his lips out as Yomo silently walked back with the other two, Itori staying a bit behind with Sakuya as she draped a blanket around her friend's shoulders.

The fight was far from over...she accidentally let the last rogue run away while she ate for the first time...Yuto was going to find out and try to kill her again, she just knew it. Still, she couldn't worry about that now though, not with Uta the way he was. She was going to stay by his side this time. No one was going to keep her away from Uta.

The half Ghoul remained expressionless as she stared up at the storming sky, determined to become stronger and to stop Yuto with her own abilities. By the end of this, she was going to be the victorious one.


	12. Chapter 12

The storm kept raging on as the Ex Dove ran aimlessly into the forest behind what was Yuto's old factory. Her long blonde hair whipped behind her as tears formed in her deep eyes, unsure if the half ghoul was after her or not. The last thing she remembered was being tossed out of the chasm in the wall, her team mate was being eaten half alive by a ghoul that wasn't No-Face. She had no earthly idea that Sakuya Yuno, the person who was originally targeted, was a half ghoul. One with such power as well.

The Ex Dove continued to race toward Yuto's apartment, tripping on the stairs multiple times before she slammed herself into the front door. She was weak and out of stamina, but thankfully Yuto was there and let her in with a less than pleased look on his face.

"Yui...I can't say that I'm happy to see you, I'm assuming the job is done though."

"She's a Ghoul Yuto! That girl you wanted us to kill is a fucking Ghoul! Her and No-Face killed the twins! I saw her eat him with my own eyes! This wasn't what I was expecting at all when you called us and now look! Both Take and Yoku are dead!"

Tears started to pour down her blushed cheeks as a frustrated look plastered itself onto her gorgeous features. She wasn't happy, and this wasn't part of the job description...but she couldn't just let her team mates' killers go on the run like that. She knew that Yuto didn't want to lose this fight either.

Still, the average man said nothing as he stood in shock. His pupils were sinking and shaking in the back of his eyes with a look of terrified paranoia. He knew for a fact that Sakuya was once a human, and he didn't know how, but she was currently part ghoul. This wasn't looking good, and he had a gut feeling there was only one way he could win. Without uttering a word, Yuto pulled his cell phone out and proceeded to speed dial someone. Someone he knew that could get him what he wanted.

"...This is Wantanabe Yuto...I need to speak with the Doctor."

\ \ \

A loud thud was heard as Uta was tossed roughly onto his bed by Renji, blood no longer pouring out from where it was sliced off by the ex Dove both he and Sakuya took care of. Still, the half ghoul couldn't help but feel a heavy cloak of guilt cover her as she watched her boyfriend gaze around the room half lidded. He was incoherent and more than likely hungry since he received violent wounds. No one else seemed as concerned as Sakuya did though as they gathered around his bed, Itori laughing as she played with Uta's severed left arm.

"U-Chan I haven't seen you this beat up since you fought Renji years ago! I don't think you ever lost a limb though...you must have been pretty distracted."

Itori shrugged as she handed Uta his arm, the RC Cells sparking to life and reconnecting the body part back to the host. For most Ghouls, it would take much longer and much more power to automatically do that, but Uta's healing abilities were top notch, which was the reason why none of his friends were worried in the first place. His knee was still shattered and his leg was definitely broken in multiple places though...the sooner he ate the better. If he didn't get fed he would turn even more aggressive.

"...I'm hungry...I hope one of you has food."

Uta tilted his head to the side as he stared longingly at Renji, a small pack of human meat was resting in his large hand as he unwrapped it and tossed it to his starving friend. Uta didn't even have to budge as he caught it between his sharp teeth and swallowed it whole, the sounds of gulping echoed in the room as Sakuya winced.

She couldn't help but realize that not too long ago she too ate another human being. Not only did she take someone's life...but she proceeded to eat their body which once harbored a soul. A shiver went down her spine as she tried to shake away that disgusting thought, never again wanting to do something that vile again.

The silence in the room was thick and tense as Uta did nothing but stare at his distressed girlfriend, the others in the room eventually got the hint and one by one they left quickly and quietly. Finally, both Uta and Sakuya were alone...something had to be said about what had just happened mere minutes ago.

"...Sakuya...I hope you're feeling better."

The timid brunette shot her hanging head up quickly as she looked at her boyfriend with an astonished look in her deep brown eyes. He was hoping she felt better...why? There he was, broken and bruised, an inch of his life was all but clinging onto him less than an hour ago and he was hoping she was alright.

Without saying a single thing, Sakuya covered her quivering mouth and started to sob softly, the guilt and anxiety were building up in her chest and it made her feel like her heart was going to physically tear in half. She had no idea how caring the man before her was.

"U-Uta...I-I'm so s-sorry! I wasn't s-strong enough to p-protect you! This is all my f-fault!"

The vulnerable female continued to cry pitifully into her sleeve, thinking that if she just didn't fall asleep on the subway those many weeks ago, none of this would have happened. Ayaka would still be alive, Rarako wouldn't have been victimized like she was, and Uta would have never had to sacrifice so much just for her well-being. Everything she did was wrong.

That's when the crying suddenly stopped. Sakuya felt a warm sensation on her lips as the tears wouldn't stop running down her rose tinted cheeks. Before her was Uta, kissing all the doubt and anxiety away. None of this was her burden to carry alone. They started this together and they would end it together as well. Their kissing continued for several more seconds until Uta finally pulled away, placing his lips on her cheek, her eyelid, and then finally her temple before breathing in the scent of her soft hair.

"I won't let you do this alone...You've already turned me into the good guy and I can't back out now. I never will."

With that, the couple made their way to the bed again, falling into a deep sleep in each others arms.

\ \ \

Days had past and Uta was finally looking better. He was still irritable from lack of food, but he was back in the swing of things, and that was the important part! Sakuya on the other hand had to take a leave of absence from work, her inner ghoul coming out more and more as time went on. Both Itori and Renji had to train her in more ways than one when it came to being a Ghoul...it was a lot harder than she thought it was. It was at that moment that she even had to start wearing the mask Uta made for her when they first met, and she even got a code name from the CCG when she went hunting with Itori. 'Panda' wasn't the first nickname she wanted but it was better than what some of the other ghouls had! It almost felt like she was leaving the human community and joining the Ghoul world.

The sun was setting as Uta relaxed in his wheelie chair, a yawn escaping his mouth as he spun around to face his daydreaming girlfriend. She hadn't left his side since the accident, and they haven't heard from Yuto within that time span either...it almost felt like it was over but no closure came with it.

"...You shouldn't worry so much Saya. I'm sure everything will turn out okay."

The tattooed ghoul walked up and ruffled his girlfriend's long brown hair, his head tilting in the direction of his bedroom as if he was saying they both needed some sleep. Sakuya couldn't argue with that as she got up and grabbed his hand, letting him lead her to the bed as the both got comfortable together. It didn't take long for Uta to fall asleep since he was still healing, the lack of food making him almost apathetic even, Sakuya on the other hand couldn't close her eyes. The pit in her heart grew heavier and heavier until she finally got the answer she wanted.

Her phone lit up softly by her pillow as she turned and looked at the message she had just received, her dark eyes narrowing as her grip on the phone only tightened. It was now or never...it was finally going to end.

Carefully, without waking her boyfriend up, Sakuya quickly changed and headed toward the abandoned apartment complex where not only Ayaka was murdered, but where Uta saved her from the first Ex Dove sent to kill her. The text on her phone read that _He_ was waiting for her, and that tonight was going to be the last for one of them.

Standing before her in the lobby was none other than Yuto, the same sadistic smirk was on his face as he turned to face his one true love.

"Ah~ Sakuya~ I'm so glad you made it, and like the text said, I'm all alone~ So we should just settle this now."

The overconfident man proceeded to take his jacket off, taking three steps forward before Sakuya could interrupt.

"I'm sure you know my secret. I let that one Ex Dove get away...I'm sure she ran her mouth off to you...so what are you doing? There's no way you can win against me now that I'm half Ghoul."

Sakuya was definitely perplexed about the whole situation, she knew that Yuto had something up his sleeve. This time victory would be hers though. She was done being the weak one, the one who needed saving, the woman who couldn't protect herself or her loved ones. She was different now, and she was going to win.

Yuto still had that sly look on his face as he approached her, an army knife in his hand as he swiftly cut Sakuya's cheek without her even noticing.

"Oh yes about that. From what I'm assuming...Ayaka was a ghoul, you got her Kakuhou implanted in you, and now you have Ayaka's Kagune...it's all very interesting really! I don't know who did that for you but they have to be close to the Sato family to go that far in your operation! It's impressive! I was shocked when Yui told me! But it's been done with other humans before too ya know~"

Upon the silver blade of the knife was Sakuya's blood, not even enough to make the weapon drip, but still Yuto had cut her, and now her life fluid was making its way closer to Yuto's tongue. Before the female ghoul could stop him, Yuto had already got a taste of what it was like being a Ghoul, and Sakuya couldn't believe what was unraveling before her eyes.

Yuto's neck twisted from side to side as his smile widened, the taste of blood was too much for him to bare and before they both knew it, Sakuya was thrown back into the wall by a strange Bikaku. Rubble fell around her as she lifted her head up, her vision blurred by the cloud of debris, but once her focus was back she couldn't comprehend what she was seeing.

There before her was Yuto, his left eye was nothing but red and black as not just one, but three Kagune left his body, raising him up from the ground as he stretched his muscles.

"Well Sakuya~? How do you like me now~!?"


	13. Chapter 13

Uta's eyes snapped open as he heard a commotion in the shop, his head lazily turning to see that Sakuya was gone as well. His first thought was that she was sleep walking again, but something seemed off about that theory. A sigh left his perfect lips as the tattooed ghoul rose from his comfortable bed, still in nothing but his slack sweat pants as he walked out to find something horrible.

Within the time span of two hours, his whole shop was completely trashed. Every mask was torn and ruined, his shelves were destroyed and worst of all, someone broke his laptop. It was at that moment when he knew vengeance would be his.

There was something itching at the back of his mind though as he picked up a note on the ground with nothing but an address on it. For some reason the word 'Karma' was all he could think about...that and for some reason Kaneki Ken. There was probably a little piece of him that thought he deserved this. Still, it didn't stop him from getting dressed and meeting the culprit at the destined spot.

"Hello?...Okay whoever murdered my shop is gonna have some hell to pay, and this better not be you Itori and Roma. I'm sick of your over the top jokes we're too old for that shit...especially you Roma...You may look young but I know how old you really are… you little freak."

Uta crossed his arms and pursed his pierced lip out as a heard a woman's laugh echo the parking building. It felt like no matter where he went it was always abandoned...not that he was complaining. He didn't want anyone to see this publicly anyways.

"You needn't worry~ Your friends aren't here, it's just me~"

Standing before Uta was the blonde ex Dove who completely dominated him before Sakuya could take over and save the day, a smug smile ruined her once flawless features as the look in her eyes shifted from calm to ecstatic in less than two seconds.

"It's so nice seeing you again No-Face~! And I'm glad to see that your cute little girlfriend isn't here either! But don't worry, we can have a party without her, right boys~?"

From the shadows appeared multiple ex CCG members, smirks on every one of their faces as they surrounded Uta completely. It seemed like he was outnumbered by at least twenty if not more, which made the intimidating leader very happy indeed. She was going to get her revenge whether it took all night or not!

"Well No-Face? Do you want to give up now or-"

Quiet laughter interrupted her as Uta's shoulders started to tremble, his head hanging low as one of his hands cupped his face to force him to stop chuckling. He couldn't though and his hunger was raging out of control as so many scents entered his breathing passages. Flashbacks from when he was a teenager flooded his memories as he scanned the room like a wild animal looking at helpless prey...it was like an all you can eat buffet.

He gulped back his desires and held it together, his body still shaking from all the emotions he was feeling. One warning was all he was going to give them...he felt like that was fair.

"...Miss Ex Detective...This is your chance to turn around and never come back...take it or you'll regret it."

The audience erupted in laughter as the lead "Detective" took a single step forward, her ego inflating to a dangerous level as a few of her men circled closer around the tattooed Ghoul.

"You're full of it No-Face~ Just face the facts, you're gonna die here tonight and there's nothing you can do about it~"

The snap of her slender fingers echoed as one of the goons proceeded to grab Uta roughly by the shoulder, the empty and dark parking garage filled with screams of agony shortly after. Before everyone's eyes, Uta had ripped the attacker's arm off, switching the positions and tearing his throat apart with his teeth. He was so hungry...he was so hungry and so pissed off.

Uta swallowed the human flesh and dropped the arm, a blush appeared on his face as his bit his smiling lip. The feeling of killing someone and eating them...it was amazing.

"Ah...I haven't eaten like this since I was a teenager~ it's so hard acting like a good guy when really all I wanna do is fuck people up. I guess I do deserve a bit of a binge since I've been acting so well~"

Uta's eyes grew wide as his red pupils sank back, his smile was nothing less than sadistic as he tore through a group of ex doves within seconds, limbs and blood were covering the floors and walls as the killing spree continued.

"I'm so glad my girlfriend isn't here too~ She would be so mad at me if she saw how bad I was being."

Uta's smile widened as he took the head of an Ex Dove and twisted it 360 around their body, tearing it off shortly after and tossing it into the hands of someone else. His binge eating continued as he finished off every last one of his attackers without getting a single scratch, his gaze pierced through one detective as she tried to get away. Before she could reach the exit, Uta caught her by the collar of her dress shirt, tugging her back so she was resting in his arms.

"...Miss Ex Detective...where do you think you're going?"

The tattooed ghoul tilted his head to the side as the Ex Dove looked up at him in shock and horror. His entire body was covered in blood splatters as his grip on her got even tighter, remembering what she did to him back in the factory while he was trying to protect Sakuya.

"I remember you telling me that you got kicked off the force because you were too violent...which I find funny. Coincidentally the 4th Ward is no longer a safe place for humans or ghouls…thanks to me."

Uta smiled softly once more at the woman in his arms before placing a hand below her jawline, his mouth dropping into an unamused frown as he dug his nails into her skin.

"...I'm going to skin you alive now...No hard feelings."

A horrified scream filled the building completely as the sound of flesh tearing followed soon after, the look in Uta's eyes was nothing short of evil as he continued to torture the last of the investigators. The female struggled constantly and soon fell to the ground as she tried to crawl away. The air hitting her open wounded face was cold as blood poured down her neck and collarbone.

Her escape was futile as Uta pressed his foot against her back, shoving her into the hard concrete with a looming presence surrounding him. He then lowered himself and tugged her by her twisted locks, whispering something into her ear

"...Die"

With that, Uta moved his grip to her boney arms, his foot still pressed against her as he forced her spine to break into an L shape. The only sound heard was a loud and nightmarish snap, from there it was all over. All the pent up aggression and hunger had been released, and Uta fell to the ground feeling so much better. He hadn't gone on a rampage like that since he was an older teen, so after that many years, it felt pretty good! One question remained as he sat up looking at the mess he had made.

Where was Sakuya?  
/ / /

The young Half Ghoul could only dodge so many attacks by the new Yuto, multiple Kagune aiming at her all at once. This was not what Sakuya was expecting as she swiftly avoided all of the shards shot at her by the multi-colored Ukaku protruding from Yuto's back, his scaly Rinkaku also taking hundreds of jabs at her at the same time. Once Sakuya landed on her feet again, Yuto took her by surprise and slammed her across the barren lobby with his large Bikaku, a devilish smile formed on his face as if he had already won.

With an Ukaku, a Rinkaku, and a Bikaku, Sakuya was sure that this was the end for her. All she had was her Rinkaku and less than a month's worth of training; there was no way she could beat him like this. Still, he was the reason why Ayaka was dead, why she became a Half Ghoul, and why her whole life was practically crumbling around her. Just because the odds were in his favor didn't mean she wasn't going to fight with everything she had.

The determined female rose to her feet and began to run from his barrage of Ukaku shards, the dark crystal like substance barely missing her as she tried to head for the door. This wasn't a fair match, the best she could do was find help and maybe defeat him that way, which was her one and only goal. Sakuya was mere inches away from the door-less archway of the apartment building, the street lights seeming brighter than they ever had before, but nothing ever went as planned for her.

Around her ankle was one of four Rinkaku, tugging her down and dragging her across the floor before lifting her up and tossing her like she weighed no more than a bag of feathers. Yuto had the upper hand, and he was going to play this out for as long as possible. His large Bikaku hoisted his body up to loom over his love, a glint of evil in his deranged gaze as the remaining Rinkaku wrapped around all of her delicate limbs.

"You're so weak Sakuya~ Why don't you give up and just become mine? If you say you love me, I'll let you go~ Oh, but I'm still going to kill that disgusting boyfriend of yours…he'd just be in the way of our perfect romance anyways right? So what do you say?"

Sakuya's body ached and she desperately wanted to cry out, but nothing was going to get to her, she may die, but she wouldn't surrender. A surge of rage flowed through her soul as she straightened her neck and spit right in Yuto's face, the look of courage in her eyes still shining brightly even though she knew this would only end in pain.

Yuto indeed took her rudeness as an answer, and like he had said before, if he couldn't have her no one could.

"…Fine…Just remember, this is your fault."

Without saying another word, Yuto began to tense his Rinkaku, stretching Sakuya's limbs slowly and painfully as he heard her joints popping loudly. The woman once filled with bravery was feeling something else now, whether it was fear, hatred, anxiety, she didn't know. What was certain was that she was in dire pain and just wanted the suffering to end. She closed her eyes tightly and cried out in agony, only one person coming to mind as all of this was happening.

'_Ayaka…I'm so sorry…I'm sorry I couldn't win for you'_

It was at that moment there was no more tension. Her limp body fell to the ground with a loud thud as a surprised yell reverberated off the concrete apartment walls. With all the strength she had left, Sakuya turned to see Yuto's Rinkaku completely shattered, nothing but useless appendages sticking out of his body. He too was taken aback by this sudden and surprising attack, anger once again bubbling up to the surface as his heavy Bikaku supported him like before.

Standing there with a club like Quinque was Uta, his facial expression completely neutral as he spun his weapon skillfully. On the end of a very slender pole was a spiked hammer like object, obviously meant for terminating ghouls yet he was the one who had it, and it seemed like he was already used to using it.

Steady once more, Yuto scoffed at his uninvited visitor, his Bikaku raising him up so he towered over both Uta and Sakuya.

"Well what do we have here? I see Yui failed miserably once again. I have to do everything myself don't I?"

Uta clicked his tongue in annoyance as he spun his Quinque in one hand as if it was nothing more than a cardboard sword, his once even tempered eyes now shone with the same hate and anger Sakuya had in hers.

"The only thing you have to do is die."

Not a second was wasted as Uta charged after Yuto, his hammer Quinque held firmly in both hands as he swung at his enemy. Of course Yuto was stronger than he ever was, and seemed to be dodging the attacks swiftly. His ego was showing badly as he laughed at every attempt Uta made, not realizing that the tattooed Ghoul had backed him into a wall. With nowhere to go, Yuto turned his head in a panicked manner to face Uta, the full blooded Ghoul now right in front of him as he lifted his own shirt, revealing knives that were made to penetrate Ghoul skin.

Before Yuto could even figure out what was going on, Uta jumped up and jammed several knives into his chest and neck, causing the tri-kagune baring man to scream out in pain. Then, just like that, Uta planted his Quinque and spun himself to be behind Yuto, kicking him harshly in the back and rocketing him face first into the cold ground.

Uta thought it was over since Yuto refused to move, so with the energy he had left, he rushed to the unconscious Sakuya. Her body was limp as he held her in his arms, but she was still breathing; his main concern was getting her back to his shop and making sure she was okay. The tattooed Ghoul was going to leave with his girlfriend in his arms until he heard a sadistic laughter behind him, the ground trembling subtly as the once weak figure rose up with all his Kagune back and even stronger.

Yuto was no longer just a half Ghoul…his soul had been devoured by vengeance, his body was producing alarming rates of RC Cells, causing them to exit his body and form a type of mask as all warped Ghouls had. This person was deadly even to the most powerful of Ghouls, and Uta knew this was going to be a fight he would never forget.

/ / /

All Sakuya could see was white. Everywhere she turned was white. She had no idea where she was, but she knew something needed to be done about Yuto. For a moment, Sakuya thought about running in every direction until she found something, but there was no need as she heard a sweet and familiar voice call out to her.

"Sakuya~ You're still the same sweet girl I've known for most of my life. You can't even fight your own battles, can you?"

There before her was Ayaka, her dark auburn hair was long and wavy as she put her hands on her curved hips, a friendly yet sad smile was seen on her beautiful face. It was like she had never even left…she was right there and all Sakuya could do was stare at her with tears in her dark eyes.

"You're gonna cry? Is that really how you greet your soul sister?"

Without hesitating, Sakuya ran to her best friend, their bodies left no spaces as they hugged tightly with tears streaming down the young designer's rose cheeks. All she could do was sob heavily as Ayaka stroked her hair, always staying strong and calm no matter what.

"Ayaka! I'm so sorry! This is all my fault and now I can't even win for you! I'm weak! I need you!"

The Half Ghoul continued to cry softly as Ayaka pulled away, her hands placed firmly on her best friend's shoulders as if she was giving her a wakeup call. Sakuya wasn't weak, she's been strong the whole time! In every situation she had been in, she never thought of herself and wanted closure for those around her. It was about time Sakuya saw how powerful she was, and Ayaka was going to help her.

"Listen to me Sakuya. Yuto isn't human anymore, he has no reason and he'll continue to kill if you don't stop him. You're the only one who can do this okay?"

Ayaka tried to give her friend eye contact, but the timid girl casted her eyes down, unsure of what she could do to end this. That's when Ayaka smiled and decided to tell her a very important secret.

"…You know how kids have both attributes from their mother _and _father? You've already used my Rinkaku and honestly that one is my favorite~ I get it from my mom after all. Anyways what I'm telling you is…Yuto isn't the only one with a few tricks up his sleeve~"

Ayaka winked playfully as Sakuya jerked her head up in surprise, wondering what her best friend was talking about and how her story would help.

"Ayaka…Yuto has three Kagune and they are all so powerful, I dunno how I can-"

"Two~ Your boyfriend over there is pretty good with a Quinque. I've known the guy for years but I've never even seen his Kagune! You sure do like the mysterious ones don't you~?"

A light blush appeared on Sakuya's cheeks as she smiled softly, tugging her best friend over and embracing her for the last time. Seeing Ayaka's face made everything better, and it was an amazing feeling to know that she had been there all along.

"Alright Sakuya! It's evenly matched now! Be the strong girl I know you are~"

Sakuya could feel Ayaka's spirit fading as her best friend placed a gently kiss on her forehead, walking away soon after and disappearing into the white space around her. Ayaka was always there for her, and with that energy Sakuya forced her eyes open once more.

/ / /

The scene around her was nothing short of terrifying. Uta had been dodging and attacking Yuto to no avail, the once human was now a complete monster as he crawled quickly on the ground. His Bikaku was swinging around mercilessly as his Ukaku continued to shoot shards at the tattooed Ghoul, piercing him in several places as he tried to escape. Yuto was going to win at this rate, and before Uta could get his baring's straight, the monstrous Ghoul used his snake like Bikaku to grab his leg, throwing him violently into the wall with no sign of any human emotion. Yuto's main goal in life now was to kill.

"You'll all die! Everyone will die!"

The thick and demonic voice of Yuto was heard throughout the whole building, his Ukaku expanding outward ready to send a rampage of shards into Uta's body. His eyes narrowed as if he had won the war, but before he could kill the Ghoul in front of him, a sharp pain went through his stomach. Protruding out of him was Sakuya's Rinkaku, forcing him to turn around and see what she had become.

Both Yuto and Uta were shocked to see Sakuya standing there with not only her Rinkaku, but a red and purple Koukaku as well. The heavy Kagune wrapped it's self around her slender arm only twice until becoming multiple claws, almost like that of an animal. It wasn't until that moment that Sakuya remembered seeing this before. The day Ayaka was killed she brought out her Koukaku, sacrificing herself in order to protect her best friend. It was then that Sakuya knew that Ayaka's death wouldn't be in vain. She was going to end this for her.


	14. Chapter 14-Last Chapter

The power surging through Sakuya was one she had never felt before, and it was all thanks to her best friend Ayaka. Through her untimely death came Sakuya's chance to blossom; came her chance to prove she was strong enough to protect those she loved. Thanks to Ayaka giving her life, Sakuya was brave enough to defend her own.

Yuto had taken enough from her, and to even involve Uta was just too much. With both her Rinkaku and her new Koukaku, there was no way she could lose. There was one huge difference between the two half Ghouls though. With so many Kagune implanted in his body, Yuto eventually slipped into madness, causing him to turn into a Kakuja. He was stronger, faster, had nothing to lose…but at the same time Sakuya had everything to lose…She was fighting for everyone she loved and that was enough to make her want to defeat him.

"I've had enough of this Yuto…You've gone too far, and this ends now!"

Without sparing another moment, Sakuya rushed head first into the fray. She was terrified of course, but nothing was going to stop her from doing what she had to do. If she didn't kill Yuto now, she wouldn't live to regret it. With her heavy yet powerful Koukaku, Sakuya swung at her opponent chaotically. She was so tied up in the idea of wanting to kill him, that grace and form left her battle technique completely. The crazed man laughed manically, easily dodging the flustered Sakuya as if it were mere child's play.

"I thought you were tougher than that Sakuya? You're making this too easy for me!"

Without missing a beat, Yuto swung his Bikaku at his opponent, sending her flying into a nearby wall. He was positive he could beat her, he could feel power and confidence flowing in his veins, yet even with three powerful Kagune radiating out of his body, Sakuya just wouldn't give up. The weaker half Ghoul rose to her feet, blood dripping down majority of her body, yet there she was, still alive. What was worse was the look in her deep eyes. Even though Yuto had the upper hand, Sakuya had that look of determination…she wouldn't give up.

A spark of anger pulsed itself throughout Yuto's body as his Ukaku grew in size, a barrage of shards flew in Sakuya's direction, none of them missing their target.

"Just die Sakuya! You're going to lose so just give up!"

He was relentless with his power. He continued to shoot sharp shards into her until he had no energy whatsoever, but even as the dust started to disappear Sakuya was still standing. Bravery still glowing in her eyes. Yuto couldn't take this anymore. He was on his last leg as he felt his Ukaku weaken and eventually recede back into his body. He was becoming a wild animal that would attack anyone who came close to him.

"…Why!? Why won't you just die!?"

As a last resort, Yuto came charging at Sakuya, his Bikaku and Rinkaku swinging messily in the air as his pupils sank back in his eyes and his mouth started to foam with insanity. Still, there she stood, unafraid and ready. He screeched loudly as he was mere inches away from her, one thing pulling him back and obstructing him from his final goal. Yuto twisted his neck slowly only to see Uta standing with a whip Quinque, the long rope wrapping around Yuto's ankle. He recognized that Quinque as Yui's…a true sign that Uta did in fact kill her.

"…I really hate being ignored."

Uta narrowed his eyes as he tugged harshly on the whip, causing Yuto to fall forward right in front of Sakuya. The female Ghoul wasted no time as she found a window, and swung her Koukaku into Yuto's Rinkaku, causing the shining appendages to shatter all around them. Before Yuto could even comprehend what was happening, Sakuya picked him up with her Koukaku Claw and slammed him into the pavement, the very tips of the claw went digging into his skin.

There he was. Crying, weak, and scared. Sakuya could see herself in his eyes…she could see how weak she used to be and how strong she was now. This was her chance to finally avenge Ayaka…What was she waiting for?

Her heart skipped a beat as Yuto slowly turned back into his human facade. His previous Kakuja form fading away as he looked at her like a cowering child. The only Kagune he had left was his Bikaku, he had no more cards to play as both her and Uta had him cornered. Still, Sakuya was hesitant about something as she continued to stare at him.

Ayaka was dead because of him, she would never get to see her best friend ever again and yet here she was not making a move. After taking a deep breath, Sakuya let him go. Killing Yuto wouldn't bring Ayaka back…Sakuya wanted him to live with defeat for the rest of his life, that's what he deserved in her eyes.

"…W-what? You're not going to kill me?"

Sakuya scoffed as she got up and walked to Uta, wanting nothing more than to go home. She was done with this fight, she just wanted a normal life again.

"I don't want to kill you Yuto. I don't want to do anything to you. You're a waste of my time, and you don't deserve to be killed by me. You're a joke and a failure. You killed my best friend, turned me into a Ghoul, turned _yourself_ into a Ghoul…and for what Yuto? I'm not with you now and I'll never be with you. You failed…and I'm going home."

Sakuya sighed heavily as she grabbed Uta's hand, tugging him toward the exit as if nothing even happened. She was going to leave Yuto to rot until she heard him screaming at her, his hoarse voice calling out threats like it would intimidate her to come back. He was scared. Every word Sakuya had said was right, and he was too scared to admit to himself that she had won, and that he was a failure in every way. This was not how it was going to end in his book.

"No…No! I will win! I will kill you! I'll make you sorry!"

The angered Yuto quickly got to his feet as his Bikaku hit the ground with immense force, causing the ground to tremor. Without saying another word, the chaotic man rushed toward Sakuya, his Bikaku raised and ready to break her in half. This was going to end with someone dying, he was going to make sure of that.

That was when Yuto stopped in his tracks, a warm sensation spilling all over his chest and stomach brought his attention away from Sakuya and onto his own body. Piercing through him was Sakuya's Rinkaku, all four appendages plunged deep into his torso as he felt time suddenly stop. He brought his shaky vision onto Sakuya, her eyes swarmed with sadness and anger as she refused to even make eye contact with her attacker.

"I may be forgiving…but Ayaka isn't."

It was then that Sakuya ripped her Rinkaku out of Yuto's body, blood bursting out of every hole made by her terrifying power. The crazed man fell to his knees as one Rinkaku tentacle was brought before his eyes. On the tip of the shining Kagune was a still beating heart, blue and purple arteries lead their way back into Yuto's chest as he reached out to grab it. It was then that the Rinkaku jerked away, cutting the ties and silencing the once beating heart. The only sound left was the sound of Yuto falling onto the cold concrete, finally dead. There, laying beside of his body, was his cold and useless heart.

\\\\\

A few days had passed, Sakuya was sitting outside of her favorite cafe sipping coffee as an expected guest arrived to greet her. The young woman smiled happily as she rose to her feet, her arms wrapped tightly around the person she had been wanting to see for a while.

" I'm so glad you could make it! I haven't seen you in months it feels like~"

The older woman smiled sweetly at Sakuya as she took a seat, a waiter making rounds diligently and taking her order promptly. It had been quite a few weeks since Ayaka passed away, and was still grieving, but she was happy to see Sakuya none the less.

"Oh I know dear~ I'm glad to see you're doing better! You seem happier too, is there a reason behind that?"

The beautiful mother smiled gently at Sakuya, the young designer returning one just as sweet and gentle. There was a reason behind her happiness, and she couldn't wait to share the news with her best friend's mother.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about some pretty deep stuff…I know you put Ayaka's Kagune inside me, , and I'm okay with that."

Shock was made visible on the mother's face as she set her coffee down, a look of nervousness replaced a once calm expression. It was true, she did have the surgeon place Ayaka's Kagune inside of her…but she just couldn't let her daughter die…there was no way she could live without something of her's still on this planet.

"Oh…Sakuya I'm so sorry I deceived you like that…It's just I-"

"No~ I understand~ That's not why I wanted to talk to you. The truth is, I couldn't have lived without Ayaka's Kagune with me~ She's been protecting me this whole time and…"

Sakuya smiled softly as she wiped a tear from her eye. Life had been tough, that much was positive, but nothing felt greater than knowing Ayaka could finally rest in peace.

"The man who killed Ayaka, and everyone who was involved in her murder…they've all been taken care of . I made sure none of them could ever hurt us again."

The shine in Sakuya's eyes almost glistened just like Ayaka's and couldn't help but cover her mouth as she sobbed quietly. To think Sakuya would avenge her daughter like she did…She knew that Ayaka had never really left to begin with.

After talking for what seemed like hours, Sakuya and both left to return home, an air of content surrounding the both of them as if everything from here on out was going to be okay. It was late when Sakuya arrived at HySy, a cute smile on her face as she entered her boyfriend's mask shop.

"Uta-San~ I'm back! Did you miss me~?"

The giggling girl skipped happily to her boyfriend and wrapped her arms around his neck, their lips connecting into a sweet and passionate kiss. Things have gotten so much better for Sakuya. Uta was there for her, Ayaka was always protecting her, and she didn't have to worry about revenge or Yuto anymore! Her life was finally on the right track again.

"Did any strange men fall in love with you yet? I'm getting kind of bored just sitting around."

Uta sighed as Sakuya playfully smacked his shoulder, not wanting him to jinx their lives.

"Don't say that! I'm so glad things are finally looking up, last thing we need is another love sick guy killing for attention…"

Uta pursed his lips out as he looked away, also glad that he wouldn't have to worry about his girlfriend anymore.

"Yeah…Tragedies aren't that popular anymore…I would settle for a comedy…or maybe a romance if you play your cards right."

Sakuya giggled once more as her grip around Uta tightened, her feelings for him skyrocketing since the event that happened only days ago.

This was her life now. Her best friend was murdered by a psychotic co-worker of hers who claimed to be madly in love with her, all while she underwent a risky surgery and became a Ghoul through Ayaka's Kagune being transplanted into her. It was rough and messy, but she was okay now, and nothing could take away the happiness she was feeling right now.

She knew everything was going to be okay.


End file.
